A deep dive into GORE-TEX®

An editorial project by Document Studios for SNS

Take one part New York City, add a chunk of the 1990s and sprinkle it with GORE-TEX. I bet what happens next is one of two things: either you recall a music video or a specific lyric from one of many possible hip hop artists working out of Brooklyn at that time, or you think of George Costanza and that coat.

For me, it’s all about Georgie.

Seminal Seinfeld episode ‘The Dinner Party’ was aired in February 1994, set in a freezing cold Manhattan, and features George in a massive winter coat, hardly able to move through doors because of its comedic size. In the episode George only explains the coat with “It’s GORE-TEX” when questioned about it by Jerry and Elaine. That was enough, no other facts – not even the brand name – was information deemed necessary. Fiction though it might be, I can’t think of any other pop-cultural seal of approval of that calibre.

I would have watched that episode in rural Sweden, probably a couple of years after it was originally aired, and though I can’t be 100% sure, it was most likely my first interaction with GORE-TEX. And the fact that the fabric technology has such pop-cultural reach is the entire point of this project. There are no doubts about GORE-TEX’s technological accomplishments, its popularity among global brands needing waterproof and windproof capabilities and the trust it enjoys among the end consumer – and this piece celebrates that aspect of GORE-TEX, too, through words of wisdom from various designers working with the technology – but it’s that name recognition and that ability to instil immediate confidence that transforms the GORE-TEX logo into a badge of honour.

Since watching that Seinfeld episode my own relationship with GORE-TEX has evolved and not long after that – thanks to the wet and windy climate in Scandinavia – it was centred around getting weather-appropriate gear rather than what George Costanza was able to buy from his father’s friend, at discounted prices. Nevertheless, my affection for GORE-TEX is still based on those two wardrobe pillars: technological quality and pop-cultural prowess. And it appears to be same but different for other as well, as attested to by this mixed bunch of young gun talent, established design icons, birdwatching hikers and graffiti artists. Hope you enjoy this deep dive into what GORE-TEX means to different people, both personally and professionally.

Text by David Hellqvist / Document Studios Illustrations by Gangbox