Travel Gear: Icebreaker’s City Label is a game-changer for the brand

New Zealand brand Icebreaker may be best known for travel apparel that you’d wear far outside of any dense concrete settings, but their still-fresh City label plays by a different set of rules.

Although timing may have been a bit off, Icebreaker’s tightly curated City capsule launched early last year and has instantly become an essential aspect to the brand. Springboarding off the idea that “nature moves faster in the city”, each piece within this collection is hinged on the idea of presenting lightweight, versatile clothing for everyday wear while also making use of the brand’s famously high quality, high performance natural merino wool.

There are only 7 pieces in the capsule, but far more ways you can actually wear them. Versatility is the design brief, perhaps best showcased by the collection’s fascinating Men’s Cool-Lite Merino Jacket ($550).

Now that Australia is heading into the wetter months, having this versatile jacket as a frequent go-to in your wardrobe just makes sense. First, it’s got a surprising and unique look to it, borrowing some ideas from a stylish hooded blazer and gently blending that with the kind of outdoor-appropriate jacket you’d expect from Icebreaker.

The Cool-Lite Merino Jacket is made with soft merino wool on the inside and lined with Icebreaker’s signature Cool-Lite fabric on the inside – a blend of merino and Tencel. The highly breathable, moisture-wicking inside and highly resilient outside is perhaps one of the best examples of how Icebreaker can marry form and function and still afford to experiment a bit with aesthetics.

The rest of the capsule is made up of both men’s and women’s clothing, ranging from The Men’s Merino Zip Hoodie ($300) to the Women’s Cool-Lite Merino Trench ($600) – a large, bold piece that takes the same approach as the aforementioned jacket.

Icebreaker’s City label is available exclusively at two of their new New Zealand stores, but Aussies can easily purchase pieces from the capsule online.

Chris Singh

Chris Singh is an Editor-At-Large at the AU review, loves writing about travel and hospitality, and is partial to a perfectly textured octopus. You can reach him on Instagram: @chrisdsingh.