Canadian brand HAVEN focuses on improving comfort, performance, and utility through practical and functional everyday clothing. Inspired by Canada’s rugged landscapes and diverse climates, HAVEN apply a functional design approach to modern, everyday clothing – balancing familiarity with ingenuity. They make a capsule collection each season using the finest materials on the market that suit the demands of urban and outdoor lifestyles in todays climate. Their garments are meticulously tested in the Canadian outdoors, to help refine each detail and ensure the designs have an enduring quality. HAVEN aims to enrich everyday life through purposeful design.
I was approached by HAVEN to review one of their products and get a better understanding of their DNA and what makes them tick. I've become more of an outdoors type of guy, but living in London I also have and urban jungle to contend with. But escaping the city to go trail running or go on hikes frees my mind and lets my adventurous spirit reign. I selected the Guide Jacket Polartec® High Loft™ Fleece which has quickly become a firm favourite, wearing before and after runs to battle to harsh end of winter. The Polartec Fleece is super comfortable and gives serious warmth. I particularly like the collar which doubles up for a nice spread collar when not zipped all the way up – giving it a slightly smart feel to accompany it's practical aspects of keeping you warm from the elements. I can see exceptionally high quality in it's making, which I'd put it on par with the top technicalware brands out there.
Working with local manufacturers in Canada and Japan, ensuring their products are made to the highest standards of quality and craftsmanship, HAVEN are able to keep a tight eye on quality control. Everything is designed and developed in their Vancouver design studio – as they purposefuly explore the intersection between technical innovation and craftsmanship, custom developing performance materials with the world's leading fabric manufacturers.
Being surrounded by mountains, oceans, and abundant amounts of rainfall and sub zero temperatures, the HAVEN team is well placed to develop apparel that needs to be functional to withstand the elements faced in that dynamic environment. It's a playground that forces them to be creative. One of their mantra's is that we can live an enriched life through a deeper connection with our environment. Therefore, creating functional and versatile clothing aimed at improving comfort, performance and utility for daily needs and requirements can help get us closer to our environment.
Brother's Arthur and Daniel Chmielewski founded HAVEN in 2006, as a men's lifestyle clothing brand and retailer dedicated to craftsmanship and innovation. They sell other brands in their Vancouver store and website, complimenting their philosophy and product range that gets you closer to nature. Their own label brand is manifestation of their design philosophy, designing and developing lifestyle apparel that empowers you to explore and interact with the world around you. I'm completely onboard with that.
