resurgence SYSTEM

THE FIRE - FEB 2022

I was woken early Saturday morning (Feb 26-02-22) by a text message from a friend. It read “Have you seen the news? That’s not your warehouse is it?” My heart stopped, as a picture of a warehouse engulfed in flames came through on my phone. I knew straight away, it was unmistakable. It was the roller shutter door to the actual 7L warehouse unit. We had just lost all our stock in a warehouse fire.

For a while, I stood, in shock, just watching. The fire crews each took it in turns to say they were sorry, as the shock must have been etched all over my face. A man stood next to me, he was crying. Turns out he wasn’t insured for his unit. I’ve had a few bumps in the road with this brand, like any brand or business owner, but launching the brand into the beginning of an unforeseeable and unprecedented 2 year pandemic wasn’t enough……now this……it was a tough one to swallow.

THE SUPPORT

The messages, texts, calls, emails from our customers, fans and followers, industry colleagues was overwhelming, and obviously fantastic. We are very grateful to all. It didn’t hit me for a couple of days. But then it hit me hard. For about two days I was walking around, not really thinking about anything. I was still in disbelieve. I shut the website down and put a post on instagram informing everyone what had happened. I had to rethink the next 2-3 years quickly, because what we deliver as a brand, takes months and months to create, direct, design, procure, manufacture and market. I couldn’t believe my phone. It was buzzing with constant messages, calls and emails of support. Dusting myself off, I started to reach out to people and come up with a strategy and what we could do as all of our SS22 and AW22 stock was now hot ash. We literally only have left whats in the 7L Store, which is all now on the website too. It’s not much. It’s not over……not yet anyway! We had a very professional, skilled, loyal and hardworking supply chain who have already started putting the wheels in motion. Our global suppliers from Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, China, Portugal, the UK, Spain, France, America, Vietnam and the US are all supporting us to get back on our feet.

As I started to think about the new designs, I tried to utilise fabrics we could just get off the shelf, as the fabrics we had stored in the warehouse were lost in the fire.

I purchased fabrics that were already in stock and readily available that could be utilised in the new designs. After we'd waited a while for the 1st prototypes to come back, they were terrible. The fabric just didn't work. I would have to bite the bullet and order new fabric from scratch and hope it would arrive in time so at least we would have a collection for AW22. The minimums on the fabrics were very high, so I had to purchase for AW22 and AW23 as I just couldn't meet their minimums of upto 2000m.

Minimums for all the fabrics were in the region of 1000m to 2000m per supplier per fabrics. To put it into perspective 2000 metres is 5 times around a running track. So I bit the bullet and went for it, designing brand new pieces with brand new fabrics. I hoped we'd make AW22 in time but as the months went by and suppliers started to make excuses about fabric delays, I knew we were going to miss Xmas.

INSPIRATION

The Inspiration for the AW23 Resurgence System came from numeours sources and obviously narrowed dramatically due to fabric supply, manufacturering capacity and cost. Words like Reovery, Comeback, Revival started whirling around my head and the word Renaissance stuck in my mind, which helped with the colour pallette of the collection. The greys, yellows, greens, blues were all inspired by the Renaissance period and the Renaissance period was about a "rebirth". The Resurgence System was named. We would fight back and rebirth the brand.....again!

L1. LAYER 1

Crucial to the function of ECWCS is a high quality syn- thetic base layer de-signed to quickly wick moisture away from the skin helping provide the 1st basic layer of insulation and moisture wicking capabilities.

Our new technical base layer is designed for maximum comfort using one of the most innovatively advanced and luxurious fabrics on the planet designed and manufactured by Schoeller in Switzerland.

E3 PROTECTION: THE WIND AND WEATHER REPELLING OUTER LAYER. E3 knitted fabrics have a wind and water-repellent finish offering excellent protection from the weather while en- suring air circulation for optimal breathability. Addi- tionally, they have a high wearing comfort. 3XDRY®: 3 TIMES DRY. Dry on the outside. Dry on the inside. Dry in a flash. 3XDRY® is a textile finishing technology that combines two functions into one textile. The outside of the textile is water and dirt repellent. At the same time, on the inside of the textile perspiration is quickly absorbed and transported away from the body. Moisture is distributed over the surface and evaporates rapidly. As a result, textiles with 3XDRY® dry much faster in comparison to conventional textiles.

L2. LAYER 2

Our first Layer 2 is a midweight base layer which can be worn on its own or in combination with others layers. It’s main function is to act as the first layer of insu- lation protecting from light wind, rain and mild to cold weather.

COOLMAX® STRETCH SHIRT

Our new 240 gram stretch shirt is manufactured from 100% recycled resources to help the environment. Our Eco-concious customers will also appreciate that this polyester fiber is made with either 100% textile waste or recyled PET bottlers. It is designed to help keep the wearer cool with its low heat retention, high breathability and moisture wicking performance. THE 10% elasthane from Lycra® ensures a forgiving fit and is ideal for active outdoor pursuits. MATERIAL SPECIFICATION: 61% PA 29% PES (Coolmax®)10% ELASTHANE (Lycra®)COOLMAX® TECHNOLOGY:> LIGHTWEIGHT AND SOFT> HIGHLY BREATHABLE> MOISTURE WICKING> DESIGNED FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE

L3. LAYER 3

Normally the generation III Layer 3 Fleece Jacket is part of the Extreme Cold Weather Clothing System for military outerwear and used as the mid layer to provide warmth while being breathable. It is a versatile jacket and can be used as a main jacket or liner while being conveniently lightweight and packable. We have taken this concept and fused fashion with function with this performnce gilet manufactured from a techincal stretch fabric on the shoulders, chest and pockets and a Polatec Fleece around the body.

POLARTEC®

Polartec® is a soft, breathable fabric that delivers warmth without the weight. The high loft of the fibres traps warm air for effective insulation outdoors. Hydrophobic Polartec® fibres repel water for quicker drying times. This ensures greater warmth and comfort.

LAYER 4 | 5 | 6 | 7