This jacket is hot – and cool!

These days, technology is pervasive in fashion. You probably have a warm winter jacket made of synthetic fleece, perhaps a natural wool, or a breathable, nylon-like fabric. And you have cool summer clothing, made of airy, light fabrics such as linen or cotton.

But do you have a jacket that can cool you down as well as warm you up? That’s exactly what the Polychrome jacket states it can do.

The coat is designed to be reversible, with one side acting as a cold weather layer, and the other as the warm-weather alternative. Each side works differently, either absorbing ultraviolet rays to keep warm, or by shedding warmth and reflecting heat to stay cool.

Though the fabric is proprietary, we can say that it works both ways, a new development in the industry. This is achieved by constructing the membrane in a three-layer system. In each case, the outer layer wipes away any perspiration or rainfall.

This construction also ensures that the fabric breathes in both directions, meaning that perspiration is quickly removed.

That’s all to help maintain a steady body temperature. This is crucial. Once the body begins to sweat, this very quickly lowering skin temperature. If the sweat isn’t transported away from the body (the process of ‘wicking’), it cools down. As liquids conduct heat far better than air, you can then become uncomfortably cold.

Of course, to switch the jacket’s function around, you do have to take it off – not very easy when you’re strapped into a harness, hanging off a mountain face, say. Still, the idea is great, and the hot/cold technology is cleverly combined with functional design, so this material looks like a winner.

The jacket and material were developed by polychromeLAB. More info and images via the developers.