British clothing brand Vollebak which is known to push the limits of fashion and science with the use of unconventional materials in its clothing items, has now unveiled a tracksuit made of pure silver.
The outer shell of the Shielding Pants are embedded with pure silver that blocks radio waves and microwaves in the frequency range 0.2GHz to 10GHz – which includes WiFi, Bluetooth, Ku-band satellites and radar systems.
The ‘Sheilding Suit’ also deflects mid and long wave infrared radiation so it can’t be seen on infrared cameras.
It comes with a phone shielding pocket that works like a Faraday cage – blocking access to your devices, regardless of whether they’re switched on or off.
“We’ve designed the jacket to be comfortable to wear anywhere, just like a regular lightweight jacket; the only difference is you’ll look like you’ve just stepped off a spaceship,’ says the company.
The brand reportedly used the same shielding material that NASA uses for its Mars exploration rover, Curiosity.
It says that a specialist lab was commissioned to build an electromagnetic compatibility shielding tent to protect Curiosity while it was conducting its tests. Vollebak used the same technology to build the Shielding Suit.
“Based in Bremen, northwest Germany, Shieldex are the lab that creates high-tech metallised fabrics for digital forensics, the aerospace industry and medical textiles… and Mars Rovers. Applications for their materials have included protecting electronics from cyberattacks, disguising satellites from thermal imaging cameras, and making wearable biometric sensors. They also make materials that are lightweight, flexible, durable, designed to divert infrared rays, kill bacteria, and block electromagnetic radiation within defined ranges,” said Vollebak.
The Shielding Jacket is available for pre-order for $4,795 while the Shielding Pants can be pre-ordered for $2,995.
Vollebak’s use of radical materials to build clothing items includes those made from brewed protein powder. Its Lab-Grown collection is crafted from a blend comprising 48% Merino wool, 36% wool, and 16% Brewed Protein fiber.
Another example of its extreme clothing is a new ultralight, weather-resistant Double Graphene Puffer which is made with a graphene core, while the insulation itself is infused with graphene nanoparticles.
