Introducing 7mesh - New Apparel Company in Squamish, BC

Jul 31, 2014 at 16:00
by Mike Kazimer  
There's a new player getting ready to enter the cycling softgoods market, with the aim of creating high end, technical apparel purpose built to withstand the rigors of mountain and road biking. Based in Squamish, British Columbia, the 7mesh team has decades of combined experience in the apparel industry. The company recently announced their partnership with W. L. Gore & Associates, a move that will allow them to use GORE-TEX® and WINDSTOPPER fabrics throughout their upcoming clothing line. Tyler Jordan, 7mesh's president and CEO, said, “Our goal is to become the most respected softgoods company in the cycling industry. Gore is the acknowledged leader in waterproof, water resistant, and breathable fabrics and we’re thrilled to partner with them for our launch.”

7mesh
7mesh is able to create prototypes at their Squamish, BC, facility.

Where does the name 7mesh come from? It's a nod to the company's Squamish location, which the indigenous inhabitants called Sḵwx̱wú7mesh. Located in between Whistler and Vancouver, Squamish has gone so far as to dub itself the 'Outdoor Recreation Capital of the World', a bold claim, but one that its close proximity to world class climbing, skiing, cycling, and kiteboarding makes it hard to dispute. 7mesh's decision to base their design studio here was prompted in part by the variety of available outdoor activities as well as the broad spectrum of weather, which includes everything from hot summer days to weeks of pounding rain, the ideal conditions for thorough product testing.

The entire range of clothing is designed and tested at 7mesh's Squamish facility, and then manufactured overseas. This is slightly different than the normal procedure – typically, a company comes up with a design on paper and then relies on a factory to come up with the initial samples. Having the ability to manufacture their own samples allows 7mesh to create a product that accurately reflects their vision, rather than relying on others to bring a concept to life.

7mesh
The recently announced partnership with Gore will allow 7mesh access to technical fabrics ideally suited to wet climates like the Pacific Northwest.

When asked about what inspired the creation of a new company, Ian Martin, 7mesh's vice president of R&D said, “We're all cyclists, and we really felt that we couldn't get what we wanted out there; we thought that the product could be way better. We saw a hole in cycling, and felt it was as good a time as any to go for it.” 7mesh isn't hiding the fact that their products will be at the upper end of the pricing scale, but they also stress that their apparel is designed to last season after season, as opposed to being a nearly disposable garment that lasts only a few months. 7mesh's full line will be revealed at this year's Eurobike tradeshow, which takes place at the end of August.


7meshinc.com

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Member since Feb 1, 2009
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56 Comments
  • 23 0
 Great to see another local company that looks to be set to make a hugely positive impact to the sport! Looking forward to seeing the product.
  • 6 0
 Lets hope they do well, creating jobs and wealth!
  • 23 13
 probably $400 for a riding jacket that you will destroy in one season. durability, my ass. it's mountain biking, not golf. destroy that shit. just buy a Raceface riding jacket and be done with it. way too much yuppie enduromania these days
  • 7 2
 Probably will be too expensive but don't blame enduro for this shit. Yuppies have always needed overpriced jackets.
  • 6 0
 I second that yuppie-expensive jacket relationship. The entire portion of the PNW that I live in looks like a goddamn REI catalog came alive in one of those horrible movie plots. They start 'em off when they're kids with tiny $350 jackets and then BAM, they turn into full-grown adults that are buying $500 jackets for walking around town in 45 degree weather.
  • 12 1
 Yep. Yuppies like expensive jackets. However, you know who else does? Guides and people that use the shiz day in and day out. There is a reason when guides or people who spend their lives using technical gear go back to their trusty, not current sponsorship deal, gear it is usually an Arc'Teryx Theta shell that has been duct taped to cover the few spots where embers landed or they got snagged sliding down a muddy slope towards a creek bed while exiting a glacier cut ridge walk. You get what you pay for and if 7mesh are smart they will reward those who pay the price by standing behind there product. Way back when I bought some of my better arc'teryx pieces I was able to justify it because I knew that they had a solid (and verfy forgiving at times) warranty and coverage of their gear. I've never spent too much on Patagucci but know that my wife had a really nice shell from them that, after 7 years of heavy use, suffered some minor stitching issues in the inner pocket. They gave her current market value on a new shell with few questions asked. So while she payed in the ballpark of $500 upfront, she laso hasn;t gone through six $200 pieces in that time like others we know...and we use our gear a lot (obviously way more so before our two little needy offspring arrived over the past few years) between climbing, backpacking, biking etc... Long story short, sometimes good gear that lasts is worth it over workable gear that doesn't.
  • 5 0
 Arcteryx make clothes for yuppies, and tools for people who actually immerse themselves in the outdoors. Although they are both the same thing, arcteryx jackets and bibs become irreplaceable tools for the outdoors when the trips they are being used for really "leave the safety of the harbour".
That and the warranty on arcteryx kit is unbeatable.
  • 7 0
 I had a made in canada arc'teryx jacket for like 7 years that i used for everything including a lot of winter climbing. beat the living piss out of it. finally, after reaching the summit of denali, the zipper started to bust out from time to time. called arc'teryx to hopefully just get the zipper swapped. they sent me a new jacket for free.

i heard a saying once that is usually true:

buy the best and that's the least you need to spend.
  • 4 0
 well lots of the guys from 7mesh are ex-arc'teryx guys so expect similar quality, and prices
  • 1 0
 Dtax, that's fucking spot on. Buy the best and that's the least you need to spend. Yves Chouinard wrote a book about shit like that. Good book, good outlook. I had the exact same experience with my arcteryx shell. Old and used in just about every season, in tons of sports. The zipper went fuckity after about 8 years and they replaced the jacket completely. If these guys can compete with this level of quality and accountability, they will be successful. Good luck in your endeavours mesh, nice choice of location as well.
  • 1 1
 Let My People Go Surfing
  • 1 1
 but for God's sake, Don't Let My People Go Enduroing
  • 1 0
 If you are actually going to use the product how its supposed to be used, like a tool to make something better. then spend the money. yeah $1000 is a lot for some Arc'Teryx bibs and a shell, but when its 60 mph winds, 34 degrees and snowing slush sideways and chair 1 at Mt. Baker ski area is stopped over the canyon, or you are backcountry skiing, and you break a collar bone and have to still trek back to the car, you will not think twice about a price tag if it makes that moment no matter how bad said moment gets if it makes it even a little more bearable. both have happened to me and both times i remember thinking shit, im dry and warm when its over. plus i get 6-8 years of solid use out of them. but its an investment and just like buying anything, if you dont use it then its a waste.
  • 2 4
 I like how all you Timmys are confusing good quality with a no questions return/exchange policy. If a company can throw you a new retail $600 jacket so you can go join in on the online fanboi circle-jerk about how core said company is, of coarse the company is going to take the ~$100 landed cost to them if they have a similar item in stock. That pays better than print ads ever will. Notice how very seldom you return a damaged or worn item and it is repaired and returned to you, instead a new item is returned. Why do you think that is?

Arc'Teryx is for Vangroovy twats anyway.
  • 7 0
 Speaking as one of the Timmy circle jerkers, I'm glad you like our fanboy discussion. If you can ever afford one of their shells then you can join as well. But new members to the circle jerk have to bring the crackers. Put them in one of the numerous well designed pockets in your new jacket. I'm sure they keep dry from all the tears you seem to be crying.
In regards to the business model you are focused upon, and the question you have asked- I think that arcteryx has taken my 8 year old jacket, which has seen almost every territory and province in Canada, led numerous outdoor Ed trips, skied endless mtns, paddled numerous lakes and rivers, and ridden a buncha mtns, and after 8 years really owes me nothing, taken it and replaced it with a brand new jacket for free so that I can continue to enjoy the outdoors, so that I will continue to purchase their products and thru word of mouth direct others to purchase their products. Because they are accountable for their product and they make good shit. Does it cost them less to replace the jacket then repair it? Maybe...maybe they take these jackets which are compromised and research how to make better shells. So if in the end the only reason, as you seem to suggest, is to improve customer satisfaction and word of mouth promotion, I think that's smart and even endorse them for that.
So save your shekels and buy some crackers fella.
  • 3 0
 used to work a retail job at a patagonia store. even then couldn't afford the best stuff with just my salary and the employee discount. however, i loaded up on stuff that was returned by yuppie dipshits ( as in for a stain they couldn't be bothered to remove or some other minor purely cosmetic BS). every week we'd have an employee meeting where everyone got a chance to bid on the returns in $5 increments. i was able to score $400-500 shells for $20. left that job with so much gear i would literally couch surf for weeks at a time during the season and give out gear in return. freaking love patagonia but despise the stereotypical yuppie a-holes.
  • 1 0
 @lumpybackside - same experience as obee1 with my shell, and other arcteryx products. the quality is unmatched or equal to all the other best things you can buy out there. ice climbed all over new hampshire, -50 Fahrenheit wind chills on mt WA, winter backpacking, all kinds of hiking, africa, s. america, ski all over wet miserabe new england, alaska twice, including a denali summit, bunch of climbing trips in WA state, etc. etc. etc. trust me, sounds like we use gear. you sound like debby downer.
  • 1 2
 @obee1 if your jacket owes you nothing, then why not buy a new one? From your e-chest thumping, it was put through the ringer, so why not buy another one if you happen to be so rich? Or are you one of the countless people who pester companies with emails about how they must accept your clapped out gear, else face the wrath of a negative blog and/or gear review posting?

FYI, I'd rather, and do support companies that have style built into their tech gear. Ones that know gear gets abused, and will repair non-warranty issues for a small fee.

But yeah, those alpine cut black bibs, and black ski jacket with the roll into the collar hood look sick in '96 brah!
  • 1 0
 if you have 30 minutes, you should check out this video. yes, it's patagonia, but it's a good philosophy. it's about holding onto good gear for a long time. assuming you havent seen it. in addition to believing in great gear, i believe in patching, duct taping, etc. too, but in my case the zipper blew. i figured i would ask Arc'teryx to just fix that so i could keep my jacket. they sent me the one. perhaps i shoud have insisted on just new zipper or fixing it locally, but i dont feel like agreeing to disagree over that debate anymore....

www.youtube.com/user/patagoniavideo
  • 1 0
 Hi lumpy, thanks for the reply. You seem to be asking me a lot of questions, so it only seems fair that I ask you a few.
The term twat is very common in Great Britain, whereas brah is used a lot in Hawaii, New Zealand and Australia. Your little title has a Canadian flag beside it. Now, I have been to all of these countries and can say that none of them are very welcoming to crybabies like you portray yourself as, so let me ask you, have you been displaced from one of these locations or are you just trying to assume some bohemian aura in your tantrums?
It's painfully obvious that you are consumed in the fashion/ aesthetics aspects connected to outdoor gear, you have mentioned it three times. Yet you lament about the attitude and behaviour of people of means in regards to these kinds of apparel companies. Are you perhaps a wannabe outdoorsy type, stuck on the sidelines because you are too busy feeling sorry for yourself instead of getting out there and making things happen? This seems quite common in BC, and since you mentioned van groovy, I'll assume you're local to the area.
Now, to answer your queries, my shell was indeed put through the ringer, and on a backcountry ski trip the trip leader noticed my zipper becoming compromised, and let me know he had the same problem and it was replaced. So I in turn approached the local rep, who happily took the shell, and had it replaced since arcteryx realized that specific zipper was faulty. BECAUSE ARCTERYX IS AWESOME. No pestering, no threats, no, ahem, crying. And yeah, I was happy and able to buy another one.
  • 1 0
 tellin ya guys, watch the vid. it will feel like a gear hug.
  • 1 0
 I've read chouinards book, let my people go surfing, and I assume it'll be along the same focus, but yeah I'll check it out for sure. But the simple fact is that our friend lumpy, by concerning himself with apparently how my bibs and rolled up hoody shell looks in the backcountry, obviously doesn't get into the backcountry whatsoever. Because as we all know, no one cares what you're wearing when you are in the deep end, they are just happy to be out there.
  • 10 2
 As a designer, I can tell you it's next to impossible to produce garments like this at a reasonable price in Canada. Unless you think ~$500 - 800 a jacket is reasonable. They're using expensive, high quality fabrics. Yes, they're manufacturing overseas, but they're also designing, making samples and testing in their own facility here in Canada which brings costs down for you, the consumer.

You really do get what you pay for. If you spend the extra cash on something, it'll last longer for 2 main reasons.

1. It's most likely that its made from more durable, technically advanced and longer lasting fabrics.
2. You paid more than you normally would, so chances are that you'll take better care of whatever you bought.

Don't knock them for producing over seas. They're locals making the effort to make your life and your riding more comfortable.
  • 2 1
 just like everyone else send it oversees or go out of business .. hey oversees we can pay a smaller wage avoid environmental laws etc then just ship er on back...ooo yea and eventually the oversees will just knock it off and sell for less
  • 1 1
 It's true that manufacturing places abroad will replicate and re-sell someone else's designs. But I'm pretty sure that in this case, in this niche market, there wouldn't be a great enough profit for them to bother wasting their time to knock off/ re-brand and sell these jackets. They need it to be a very large scale item in order to knock it off.

You're right about the smaller wage/ environmental law point.
  • 7 0
 Wahoo! Very excited to see this!
  • 7 0
 Skwwxu7mesh -> 7mesh
I like the name.
  • 9 0
 It is cool. I suppose they're pronouncing it "seven mesh"? If I remember right the 7 represents a linguistic "glottal stop" or sharp pause between two sounds. I've been trying for years not say "seven" in my mind when I see all the signs on the way up the coast from Vancouver!
  • 3 0
 I have no idea why other company's haven't been producing gore tex riding shorts or pants. Being from the west coast of BC it seems like it should be standard practice for high end gear. If you look at company's like MEC they make affordable gore tex gear for snow sports, bike gear should follow suit. Good to see someone stepping up to the plate. I hope they do well.
  • 1 0
 They stock race face shorts that are treated with a Durable Water Repellent finish. I personally wouldn't wear goretex shorts, to much sweat.
  • 1 0
 So a new biking related company from Squamish is unveiling their new product line in August and they're heading over to Germany for this instead of going to Whistler 2 weeks earlier for Crankworx?!
Maybe they see a trade show as a better option for a full reveal but would be cool for them to do something "local" at the biggest mountain bike event out there.
Just a thought
  • 3 0
 Please some decent Gortex paclite short sleeve tops and shorts. I hate staying dry from the rain only to get wet from sweat.
  • 6 1
 first world problems...
  • 1 0
 I'm sure plenty of people in the tropics have this problem they just can't afford Gortex. So buy heaps of Goretex to bring the price down.
  • 3 0
 Another high end brand? meh. What I want is another brand that makes quality at a value price.
  • 2 0
 I'm looking forward to seeing this a bit more and more importantly to me the price (to see if I can justify it)
  • 4 0
 Looks awesome.
  • 3 0
 Would be nice to see production in Canada not just R&D.
  • 2 0
 sweatshops are much cheaper in the Far East
  • 1 0
 then the high price enduromania yuppies can support the company and feel better about the money staying local
  • 2 1
 How many Canadians are raising their children to work in factories? let alone a sewing factory. Even if they wanted to produce in Canada, the labour pool isn't that big. You can source in other countries, and make sure that they are ethical factories, that are environmental friendly, and treat the employees well, and in Canada, they can grow the business and create the jobs that people in Canada want. If they get to 100 million in sales, that will be say, 100 people that they would employ in Squamish. Not that shabby!
  • 1 0
 Girr - $100m - you're having a laugh? study market segments and potential total revenues before typing random figures into the internets
  • 1 0
 gnarbar, I know these things very well.. are you suggesting that it is impossible? it might take a long time, but it is doable.
  • 2 2
 ^Are you that twat from lulu?
  • 1 0
 Cannot +rep Girr enough - totally spot on. Global sourcing is reality.
  • 1 0
 yeah the difference is non of the above are in the bike industry
  • 1 0
 'Outdoor Recreation Capitol of the Word', - typo?
  • 1 0
 Yeah capital is spelt wrong......
  • 1 0
 7IDP, 7MX, why not 7mesh.
  • 1 0
 Don't forget 7-up, 7-Eleven, or Joost the Boost Wichman's Thirty7even.
  • 1 0
 Is that shot of the rider taken on Rupert's? It looks like Rupert's....
  • 1 0
 Absolutely. Or at the very least the funky bridge behind the yellow jacket shot is Rupert. I wanna ride Rupert.
  • 1 0
 looks like arcteryx gear slightly....







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