This luxurious, high-tech jacket can shield your phone from wireless signals – all wrapped in buttery-soft Nappa leather
The experimental British brand behind some of the world's wildest jackets has done it again
by Matt Kollat · T3
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Vollebak, the British brand behind products such as the lab-grown sweater and coats grown from fungi, is back once again with another experimental piece that proves there really is no limit to apparel innovation.
The company has built a reputation for taking the familiar and giving it an almost science-fiction twist, from creating a shopping experience straight out of Interstellar to summer clothes designed by sound.
The new Leather Shielding Jacket looks, at first glance, like a timeless black leather bomber, but beneath the premium exterior lies technology more commonly associated with aerospace testing than everyday fashion.
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The jacket is lined with electromagnetic shielding material similar to that used when testing Mars rovers, according to Vollebak.
Embedded with pure silver, the lining is designed to block radio waves and microwaves across the frequency range from 30 MHz to 10 GHz.
Perhaps the most interesting feature is a concealed phone pocket that functions as a built-in Faraday cage.
Slip your smartphone inside, and the pocket is designed to prevent remote access, blocking incoming and outgoing wireless signals whether the device is switched on or off.
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It's a feature that's arguably aimed at privacy-conscious travellers, security professionals or anyone who simply wants to disconnect without switching their phone off.
Luxury outside, laboratory inside
This isn't the first time Vollebak has produced a shielding bomber, although the Electromagnetic Shielding Bomber has a lot more futuristic look.
The new outer shell has a more traditional look, cut from black Nappa sheep leather, chosen for its soft finish and fine grain, and then vegetable-tanned with plant-based tannins.
The company says this process improves breathability while allowing the leather to develop a natural patina over time rather than simply wearing out.
The shielding fabric begins as lightweight ripstop nylon before undergoing a metallisation process that deposits pure silver directly into the fibres rather than coating the surface.
Alongside its electromagnetic shielding properties, silver also offers natural antimicrobial characteristics, giving the lining another practical benefit.
None of this comes cheaply, of course. The Leather Shielding Jacket costs £3,295 in the UK ($4,295 in the US), making it one of Vollebak's most expensive garments to date.
The jacket is available for pre-order at Vollebak.