From the first jacket they created to this most recent one, a shared ambition has remained the same: to redefine the functional possibilities of the jacket, while also stripping the design back to its most minimal and refined state. In order to achieve this, each version of the Evolution jacket has utilized the most cutting-edge GORE-TEX technologies of their day. The 20th anniversary edition, is no different: it harnesses the very latest GORE-TEX PRO technology.
The new Evolution jacket, limited to 200 pieces worldwide, is the result of the most recent team-up between premium mountaineering and outdoor experts Tilak and singular functional fashion brand ACRONYM®. Far from a one-off exercise, the 20th anniversary edition represents the fourth generation of co-created Evolution jackets, after they first began working on the style together in the year 2000.
Czech pioneers Tilak have been designing and manufacturing high-performance outdoors apparel with a sharply sophisticated aesthetic since the 1980s;
Berlin-based ACRONYM® has carved out a cult following for itself within the fashion world, offering an instantly recognizable combination of future-facing aesthetics and tech-enabled functionality.
Once more Tilak and ACRONYM® turned to the GORE-TEX brand, and its latest GORE-TEX PRO development. The latest GORE-TEX PRO technology is offered in three types: as the most rugged, with the most stretch, or to provide the most breathability. Tilak and ACRONYM®’s Evolution jacket features the latter – it is highly breathable – combining the minimalist aesthetics and clean lines of both partners’ design language, with a level of performance that will hold up in even the most extreme conditions.
In 2020, the two brands are celebrating two decades of a partnership that has been bringing their distinctive yet complementary approaches together across four generations of the Evolution jacket.
The Evolution jacket is our flagship model and as such it has to meet the most stringent, functional requirements. When we designed the first one 20 years ago, the main thing was to do this while also giving it a distinctive, ‘Tilak’ look.
…everything looks very simple, but in fact everything that makes it special is hidden in the details. It starts with an excellent fabric and then moves into design, freedom of movement, workmanship, coming together through hardware that makes all the difference, YKK's water resistant Aquaguard® zippers. These five things have defined the evolution of the jacket over the past 20 years.
We don’t release a new generation until we know we can create a better one – that can take three or four years.
It starts at the top, with an innovative new hood design. The hood is perhaps the most striking example of the commitment to high-performance, adjustable fit, but it is a quality that runs throughout the jacket. Its anatomical structure has steadily developed over the course of previous Evolution jackets to arrive at the amazing freedom of movement seen in the new anniversary edition.
The jacket has ‘evolved’ in a way that retains that same ambition, just as it has across every other version of the Evolution jacket. This time, there is also a particular focus on minimizing the footprint and construction.
