Netjets US Spring 2023

THE SMART GUIDE
DREAMING BIG
Avant-garde clothing firm Vollebak has rocketed its profile globally
in just a few years—and now it’s headed to space and constructing
its own private island down here on Earth. // By Johnny Davis
SUN LEE
RANKIN
FASHIONING THE FUTURE
From top: Vollebak’s founders
Nick and Steve Tidball; the
Garbage Watch, made from
electronic waste.
THE FIRST AND ONLY billboard
advertisement Vollebak ever
produced was a memorable
one. It read, in full: “Our
jacket is ready. How is your
rocket going?”
The billboard could
be found in Hawthorne,
California, directly opposite
SpaceX. Its purpose was
to let Elon Musk know that
Vollebak, a London-based
British clothing start-up,
had launched its Deep Sleep
Cocoon. Part jacket, part
portable isolation tank, the
Deep Sleep Cocoon featured
an innovative segmented
hood that folded over like a
space helmet and fastened
into place with magnets.
Built for the first missions to
Mars—but equally useful on
long-haul flights on Earth—it
was designed to eliminate
external stimuli and allow
the wearer to get some rest
in inhospitable places. It also
happened to look pretty cool.
What Musk made of it we
may never know. Vollebak is
still waiting to hear. But it did
prompt NASA’s Jet Propulsion
Laboratory to get in touch,
and the company is now
working with them. The story
illustrates what makes Vollebak
one of the most remarkable
companies you’ve probably
never heard of. It’s strapline is
“Clothes from the future.” But
that’s just the start of it.
Established by twin
brothers Nick and Steve
Tidball in 2015 its radical
approach to clothing has
included the fireproof,
windproof, and water-repellent
100 Year Hoodie, designed
to outlive you, the Full Metal
Jacket, built with 11km of
copper, which offers the ability
to kill bacteria and disease,
making it a potential building
block for the next century of
clothing, as well as garments
made from algae, nettles,
blueberries, turnips, and raw
hemp. Its designs have won
multiple awards from Time
and Wired.
Vollebak’s commitment to
material innovation has made
it a magnet for some of the
world’s smartest and most
forward-thinking companies.
They include not just NASA’s
20 NetJets