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Behind the Apollo Dress Shirt

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Apollo is anything but traditional. And that's the point.

In developing our first dress shirt, we didn’t want to just tweak what’s been been around for centuries. We wanted to present a radically new concept, one that skipped far ahead to the future of menswear. 

For years now, NASA has been lining its spacesuits with Phase Change Material - a technology engineered to withstand the most drastic temperature changes in the universe. Tiny synthetic fibers are embedded with paraffin wax, then blended with other yarns to create a fabric. When the body heats up, the paraffin absorbs that thermal energy and softens. When the body cool downs, the paraffin hardens, releasing the thermal energy. And as this reaction to body heat is occurring - the fabric stays the same temperature all the while.

We thought, why not incorporate this same technology into our own everyday garments? While not as intense as those in space, we all still move through a number of changing climates in any given day. And those small, sudden shocks you experience when changing temperatures are what give way to the brunt of that physical discomfort you feel in varying climates. But if your garment was capable of proactively adjusting to that change - your ideal body temperature would stay in tact all day. To us, calling upon NASA's game-changing invention suddenly made perfect sense.

Which brings us to the present-day Apollo. To make our flagship dress shirt, we provide temperature regulation by integrating that same PCM technology into a sleek, moisture-wicking knit blend. We use Photogrammetric Strain Analysis to map how muscles, joints, and skin all bend and stretch as the body moves, and then add 4-way stretch to the spots that a shirt would see the most strain - so you have full maneuverability. And to ensure a sleek, modern aesthetic, we apply thermolamination bonding to the cuffs and collar so they always stay crisp and structured. 

From composition to design, the Apollo isn't an adaptation. It's a clear a departure from tradition and, most importantly, a demonstration of what’s to come: clothing that proactively responds to your multifaceted day.

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