The fact that M.J. Bale has never had an official collection with another brand (since the company was founded in 2009) seems impossible — a revelation that is now set to change, with the arrival of the brand’s North Sails yachting capsule.
The latter, often referred to as the “worldwide leader in sail making,” was founded in California in 1957, by Olympic sailor and aerospace engineer Lowell North.
Following 15 years of friendship between M.J. Bale founder Matt Jensen and Michael Sondag, North Sails’ Creative Director, both brands have joined hands for a tight little curation of 15 garments: honed for nautical racing and off-deck activities.
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“North Sails has been the world’s number one ocean racing sailmaker for almost 70 years,” says Jensen, “renowned for their cutting-edge technology and innovative materials.”
“I’ve always maintained a belief in high performance clothing, and this is a sporty, functional, super-wearable collection [for our customers] on and off the water.”
Predictably, there are the traditional array of cargo shorts, graphic tees, and pique short-sleeved polos; but Jensen’s interest in high performance is translated most articulately here into the capsule’s outer layers.
The ‘Regatta’ ($399), for example, takes one of North Sails’ popular sailor’s jackets and gives it an appropriately Bale twist: a reversible fabric made of water-resistant nylon ‘Taslan’ on one side, and a soft green plant fibre on the other.
While most of the capsule’s signature pieces, like the Regatta, have been tailored for wear “on and off the water,” there are also a couple of designs uniquely suited to life on the high sea. Case in point: Bale designers conceived the ‘Bertrand’ ($249) as an evolution of the cold weather gilet, but the emphases here are on water and wind resistance.
And, for added credibility, the M.J. Bale x North Sails capsule is going to be ocean-tested in the upcoming Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race — just in case you’re still in need of Christmas gift ideas for your family’s resident sailor.
