Mountain Equipment Company (MEC), the Canadian retailer and outdoor gear brand, added plus sizes to its technical apparel collections for fall and winter “to create more inclusive options for all women.”
“We took time to listen and hear what she needs to venture outside with confidence,” said Sophie Laliberte, MEC director of product creation. “The top priority was not having to compromise between comfort and technical performance, which has often been the case. Adventuring outdoors in gear that forces you to choose between staying dry and staying warm is not only uncomfortable but can be seriously unsafe in the wrong conditions. The leggings you wear running errands and summer car camping just aren’t going to cut it when you’re pushing pace up Mount Robson—we worked to resolve this key issue”.
The MEC design team “leaned on the plus-size community” to identify challenges ranging from in-store shopping to summit and expanded the collection “in a way that properly represented the needs of the plus-size community.”
The fall/winter collection works as a system with base layers, insulated jackets, rain shells, hiking pants and other items that “work together for rain, wind, snow, and demanding conditions.”
Plus-size technical hiking and skiing systems for women are designed in Vancouver, BC, and tested outdoors by MEC near its headquarters.
For more product information, go here.
Photo courtesy MEC
