The fact that M.J. Bale has never had an official collection with another brand (since the company was founded in 2009) seems impossible โ a revelation that is now set to change, with the arrival of the brandโs North Sails yachting capsule.
The latter, often referred to as the โworldwide leader in sail making,โ 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 Sailsโ 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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โNorth Sails has been the worldโs number one ocean racing sailmaker for almost 70 years,โ says Jensen, โrenowned for their cutting-edge technology and innovative materials.โ
โIโve 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.โ
Predictably, there are the traditional array of cargo shorts, graphic tees, and pique short-sleeved polos; but Jensenโs interest in high performance is translated most articulately here into the capsuleโs outer layers.
The โRegattaโ ($399), for example, takes one of North Sailsโ popular sailorโs jackets and gives it an appropriately Bale twist: a reversible fabric made of water-resistant nylon โTaslanโ on one side, and a soft green plant fibre on the other.
While most of the capsuleโs signature pieces, like the Regatta, have been tailored for wear โon and off the water,โ there are also a couple of designs uniquely suited to life on the high sea. Case in point: Bale designers conceived the โBertrandโ ($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 โ just in case youโre still in need of Christmas gift ideas for your familyโs resident sailor.
