I came across the NAU clothing line by accident. I was searching for luggage among accessories and other things and I came across their site and started browsing. Their line upon first glance seemed like a great option for We Blog the World travelers and so I started diving a bit more into their options.
They do sunglasses, hats, scarves and bags none of which we’ve tested out yet, but we love the fact that in addition to their core line of clothing (jackets/coats), they offer a wide range of accessories as well.
They’re based out of America’s Pacific Northwest — Oregon to be exact — and have been delivering sustainable clothing since 2007. If you read us often, you know that we’re huge supporters of sustainable businesses so loved the fact that it is part of their core mission statement. Sustainable for NAU is “standard.”
We fell in love with their tailored, beautifully designed and functional line of men and women’s jackets. For men, not only are they functional, but they come in a variety of colors and what’s best about their line is that they offer tons of options for material, color and “function” – breathable, down, water proof and so on, which is a must for avid travelers.
While there are so many great choices from their online site, we decided to put the TEMP jacket to the test. No dry cleaning here – you can wash it on gentle, which is another must feature for both business and leisure travelers.
The jacket is meant to be durable — it is made of recycled polyester with breathable, waterproof laminate and reinforced stitching. It touts Cocona insulation for additional warmth but without the weight. We talk a lot about weight here because of checked baggage restrictions so pay attention to weight as a feature when a manufacturer lists it as a value-add.
I love that the NAU jackets all seem to have detachable hoods which means you can dress it up or down easily. This coat is water-resistant DWR-coated zipper as are most of the NAU jackets and they have two dual-access front hand zip pockets, one chest drop-in pocket and one zip chest pocket and an internal zip pocket cord routing system for your cell phone or music player.
Since we do a lot of adventure travel here, we think about things like water-resistance and of course, flexibility. The TEMP jacket, like so many of their offerings, have a drawcord mini storm-skirt hem to keep harsher weather conditions out, and a center back vent with snap for mobility. So far, we’ve only tested this out during a New York November, but the warmth is just about right for this time of year since their Goose down jackets are more suited for dead of winter conditions on America’s East Coast.
We LOVED the Indigo color choice for this coat (offered in some of their other coats as well), they offer other more traditional color options as well, such as ASH (a tan variation), pictured below or Caviar which is essentially a muted black and will go with everything in your suitcase.
They offer more traditional hoodies and classic spring jackets as well – we’d love to test one out for an upcoming adventure trip to Tahoe or the New England coast, especially one of their jackets in a fresher and peppier color – we don’t believe that jackets, sweaters and hoodies — even for travelers — should all be in navy, black or dark green.
While most clothing line sites (shoes too) have a way to select by size or color, we loved the fact that with NAU, you could select by fabric as well (see below). For features, you can choose from a variety of choices, such as water resistant, water proof, breathable, packable, insulated, reflective and whether it has a hood or not.
I’m a huge fan of colors as most people who know me know and vendors are starting to get the mantra here – I love fresh fun colors, particularly for women. I opted for
While I live in San Francisco as my main abode, I’m on the road quite a bit, so can be in rugged New England on one trip and on the same trip, be heading back via Las Vegas, or a European urban city center. My clothes need to be flexible, the colors need to go with both dressy and casual gear — hoods are great when you’re going in and out of multiple climates in one trip, and of course pockets are a godsend, particularly for women.
Why did I go with down? I find that most of the time, I’m colder than I expected to be on a trip. Down is also breathable, at least for me – not everyone would agree. I wore this coat in New York, Boston, upstate New York, Dublin, Western Ireland and San Francisco since it arrived, all of which have a broad range of climates – it worked across the board.
The other thing that I loved most about their longer, trendier down coats is that they work well for both business travel and casual situations. For example, I wore this coat during business meetings when I was at the Dublin Web Summit in November (evenings were cold), but I was also able to wear it during adventure excursions in Western Ireland a week later.
After ziplining with views of historical and architectural rich Ireland in the distance wearing my fabulous NAU down jacket, I could still be trending later that evening for a business dinner. Sweet!
Its collar snaps shut independently of your hood, which adds extra warmth, a must when walking along the beaches of Ireland in the middle of November. The other great thing about the coat is that it has zippered pockets in the front, which is a godsend for travelers.
My phone sat happily here safe and sound while I did the zipline experience — there’s a concealed front left chest pocket and many of their coats also have a cord routing system for your cell phone or music player.
There’s a snap off hood, which is great – more companies should do this. You can dress it up or down in an instant.
The 650-fill Goose down also packs super light so you can bunch it up in your luggage – in other words, it takes up very little space and doesn’t add much to the ridiculous 50 weight baggage rule fashion lovers have all grown to resent.
For women, they do jackets, shirts, dresses, pants, shorts, jeans, hoodies and sweaters in addition to rain jackets, down jackets and other breathable, weather resistant jacket-ware. I’m dying for a purple or muted rose colored coat – something in that color range, so I’m hoping they come out with something that is a little brighter and fun for some of my more sun-filled trips.
We opted to test out more of their adventure-tailored coats/jackets because of how much adventure travel, abeit high end most of the time, we do. I think NAU jackets are great for the trend setter traveler who has to do business functions or higher end dinners for part of their trip while incorporating adventure excursions during the day.
While rain gear and jackets which are great for travelers are a big part of their line, they also do trench coats, more tailored coats for women (see above) and trendier more fashionable coats such as the gorgeous dark kelp jacket below (pictured in a dark kale color). I love the style!
Here’s the other thing that women in particular will notice about their coat range — they’re tailored. It’s astonishing how many coats are still designed in that boxy, so unattractive design, so while they may be functional and warm (and even tout all the pockets that women need and want), they don’t do anything for our figures. I love the tailored choice, particularly for their longer trenches and down coats (see below).
We mentioned their commitment to sustainability but I think it’s worth mentioning again. Most of us don’t think we can wear sustainable gear and feel luxurious in the process, which btw, is one of their commitments. Below are just some of the choices in fabrics they offer.
Details & Ordering:
As mentioned above, NAU is based in Oregon but you can efficiently order their clothing online from their main website at http://www.nau.com/ which is where you’ll find their latest range, including new offerings as they gear up for the holidays. You can also order from their 800# customer support line at 877-454-5628.
Note: they sent us products to test out by all opinions expressed here are entirely my own. I was not asked to write a review or required to do so. I love their clothing line. More purple please :-)
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
