Innovative sportswear company Vollebak introduces pants designed to last 100 years, made from a material originally developed to enable the military to walk through fire.

If fast fashion is a term used to describe clothing that is designed to last a season or less, then Vollebak embraced ultra-slow fashion. “It wasn’t enough for us to build a pair of pants that could simply last for 100 years. We wanted to build a pair comfortable enough to spend the rest of your life in,” Vollebak states on their website.

Both in the design and in the material Vollebak has taken precautions to ensure the pants will last. The material they used is military grade fire-proof fabric that is built to help soldiers handle the most extreme scenarios without having to dress like firefighters. The fabric, designed by Swiss company Schoeller, consists of three layers that each have their own role, sandwiched together.

The outer layer forms a stretchy windproof soft shell that is durable, abrasion-resistant and water-repellent. The middle layer is a fireproof coating. Any contact with fire triggers the layer to instantly expand to 1000 times its size to create a protective barrier between you and the flames, similar to an air bag. The pants cannot catch on fire and the flames cannot spread. Lastly, the bottom layer, which rests against your skin, is a soft knitted fireproof aramid material that feels like cotton. The fibre doesn’t burn or melt and protects the structural integrity of pants.

The material was tested in the Martinale abrasion-resistance test, which is designed to see how quickly clothing wears down. A mechanical thumb rubs the surface until the fibres start to break. A standard polyester fabric survives about 25,000 revolutions, while 100,000 revolutions equivalents a lifetime of wear and tear. Vollebak’s 100 Year Pants survived 100,000 revolutions without a fibre out of place.

In addition to the ultradurable material, the pants has stainless steel detailing, ankle protection that even crampons won’t get through, zipped leg vents, and a seat that is reinforced with an extra layer of material for all the couch potatoes out there.

The 100 Year Pants are available in two colours and two models.

Photos: Vollebak