Forget the padded jacket, which has dominated the coat market for the past few years – this season, quilted jackets are set to become the outerwear of choice.
The trend is proving to work across generations, from the school gates to social media. Gen-Z influencers can’t get enough of them on TikTok while the 74-year-old model Maye Musk (yes, Elon’s mother) wore a black one to a Christian Dior fashion show.
Among the street-style set, the most popular is the moss green Teddy jacket from the cult New York fashion brand the Frankie Shop. Its retail price is over £200 but on eBay it sells for twice that. On the high street there is a plethora of similar versions, for example at Marks & Spencer, Arket and Cos. Mango’s £59.99 version even has a waiting list.
Demand for quilted jackets hasn’t been this high since the 1970s when a retired US aviator, Steve Gulyas, launched an outerwear brand called Husky. After Queen Elizabeth was seen wearing a Husky while out riding, it quickly became the jacket of choice among the country set.
Designer Georgia Dant, founder of the label Marfa Stance, says her own version of the quilted jacket is the antithesis of tradition. “We have reimagined it in a luxurious, userfriendly and timeless way,” she said.
With a background in menswear at Burberry, she now focuses on functional womenswear (deep pockets are de rigueur) and sustainability (nylon is sourced from Japan which has stricter environmental regulations than Europe). Customers start with a quilted base that they can add to when the weather changes – think aviator collars and waterproof layers.
In 2022, the high street versions are definitely more fashion than function. Cooler than a padded jacket, they work for this strange in-between seasonal weather. Come December, they may not feel quite as toasty.
The style may also fall out of favour due to the environmental impact. Most quilted jackets are made from polyester and polyamides. Hannah Rochell, who writes on sustainable fashion, said: “We need to move away from our reliance on fabrics that are derived from fossil fuels.
“They shed microplastic fibres every time they are washed and will hang around in landfill for thousands of years, unless the brand takes responsibility for the end of the garment’s life and recycles it in a closed loop system which, more often than not, they don’t.”
