Softshell: definition and use for merch

Softshell

A softshell is a supple three-layer jacket: a water-repellent outer fabric, a windproof membrane and a soft inner face, laminated together. It protects from wind and light rain while staying comfortable and quiet: the three-season jacket of team wardrobes.

Softshell in practice

Its name says its promise: a soft shell. The three layers are bonded into a single fabric: on the outside, a tight weave that makes water slide off; in the middle, the membrane that stops the wind; on the inside, a brushed face that feels soft to wear. The base material is polyester blended with elastane for stretch, and more and more often a recycled polyester on recent references.

What it does, and what it doesn't: a softshell is water-repellent, not waterproof. Drizzle or a short shower beads up and slides off; real, prolonged rain eventually gets through, because its seams are not sealed. In exchange, it breathes, stretches, and doesn't make that plastic-bag noise of rigid waterproof jackets. Next to fleece, the roles are complementary: fleece keeps you warm but lets the wind through, the softshell blocks the wind with lighter warmth; in deep cold, one goes under the other.

On the merch side, it has become the team jacket par excellence: it goes from the office to the side of the pitch, over a t-shirt in spring or a hoodie in autumn, and its clean silhouette carries an embroidered chest logo well. One thing to know before customizing: its membrane calls for decoration precautions specific to laminated fabrics, something the workshop masters and that gets settled when choosing the technique.

What to remember

• Three layers laminated into a single fabric: water-repellent outside, windproof membrane, soft inner face.
• Water-repellent, not waterproof: light rain slides off, real prolonged rain eventually gets through.
• The three-season jacket of the team wardrobe: it blocks wind where fleece holds warmth, and the two layer up in winter.