Why Transparent Gear Is Trending in Outdoor Design

The Fastest Fashion

As is often the case, transparent fabrics showed up on fashion runways before they populated the racks in outdoor stores. If you have over $1,000 to burn, you could pick up a “Technical Transparent Jacket” from Dries Van Noten. As one fashion headline stated: “The 90's Transparent Outfit is a 2025 Fashion Trend.” One year later, that trend has arrived at your local trailhead.

For transparency to work on the runway, it has to be pretty and provocative. But for it to work in performance contexts, it has to be durable and functional. All press may be good press, but beware the brand that puts out a product that is merely designed to look cool.

“Fashion has undoubtedly helped push transparent fabrics, but for us it reflects a much broader shift in outdoor culture,” said Matt Braun, the founder and creative director of Purple Mountain Observatory, a London-based outdoor brand that has deftly woven the technical and the fashionable. “Activities like fastpacking and trail running have created a genuine demand for lighter, more minimal equipment.”

The challenge, then, isn't just making a jacket you can see through—it's making one worth wearing.

Embracing Transparency

It's no surprise that many of the brands that have embraced transparency have roots in fashion- or design-forward philosophies.

Cult running brand SATISFY was an early adopter of the less-is-more approach—at least when it comes to skin coverage—thanks in part to founder Brice Partouche’s background in the fashion industry. Signature materials like MothTech and SpaceLace feature purposeful holes or open-knit sections of fabric, and the brand's HeatCrush line is semi-transparent.

When I spoke with Daniel Groh, the chief brand officer at SATISFY, he explained that even with the edgiest designs, functionality comes first. “We always design for the adventure ahead,” said Groh. “We make this imaginary packing list, and we're like, ‘Okay, what does the athlete need as they go on this endeavor?’”

The HeatCrush line is a perfect example. It was created because SATISFY athlete Max Jolliffe informed the team he’d be running the Badwater 135, a grueling, 135-mile desert race that's been dubbed the hottest race in the world (he won in 2026 with a record-setting performance of 20:53:41, becoming the first to finish in under 21 hours).

“Having it be transparent was just a result of the fact that we needed it to be all white or silver, because we wanted to make sure that we're reflecting as much light as possible,” said Groh. “Everyone is chasing weight savings, and transparency is also a natural consequence of doing that.”

The Swedish brand Peak Performance went through a similar process in designing their Discover Wind Jacket. Sofia Gromark, the VP of design and creative, explained that the transparent colorway (dubbed Misty Lavender) emerged because they were interested in exploring how light a shell could become without compromising performance.

“That led us to investigate an incredibly lightweight, high-performance, and breathable fabric,” said Gromark. “As we worked with it, we realised that its transparency wasn't something to hide, it was something to embrace. The seams, the bonding, and the pattern cutting become visible. There's something very honest about that. When you can see how something is made, you also gain a deeper appreciation for the engineering behind it.”

Futuristic Fabrics

Part of the reason transparency is so prevalent now in outdoor apparel is thanks to the technical advancements that make it possible.

“What we’re seeing today with our mills is that on the molecular level we can do so much more,” said Groh.

For example, the HeatCrush yarn features a cloud shape that is meant to not only help absorb moisture, but to retain it. In this way, it's an advancement of the body’s own cooling properties.

“Sweat pulls heat away from the body, and then it evaporates,” said Groh. “But the problem with that in hot conditions is the sweat evaporates too quickly. This fiber is able to retain more moisture, so it allows for the water to have contact against your skin, and water pulls the heat away from your body quicker than air would.”

It is similar, in a way, to a wetsuit. In a wetsuit, trapping the water against the body helps insulate the wearer against the cold, and in HeatCrush apparel, the sweat helps insulate the body from extreme heat.

“We couldn't have done that 10 years ago,” said Groh.

Another critical advancement often apparent in transparent fabrics is the extension of the weight-to-strength ratio. In the past, if you could see through a fabric, a branch could probably poke through it. In 2023, the Canadian materials company ALUULA developed Graflyte, a polyethylene fabric that is eight times stronger than steel by weight, but featherlight. Db was the first brand to utilize it in its Weigh Lighter collection of UL packs that minimize weight while also revealing their contents, and the ultralight OG Gossamer Gear used it to revamp its presence in the UL hiking world.

The Arc’teryx Ossa line of sun-protective apparel, which consists of an overshirt, hoody, and jacket, uses a nylon and elastane blend ideal for alpine adventures. The material is not only stretchy and durable, but it's rated at UPF 50+ and packs down into its chest pocket. The hoody became my favorite sun layer on adventures this summer. And in the Alpine Blue colorway, whatever I was wearing underneath was visible, allowing me to make a layering statement (or not).

In each case, transparency for transparency’s sake is not the goal. “I don't think transparency itself is the destination,” said Gromark. “The innovation catches your attention, and the performance earns your trust.”

Consumer Appeal

Most of us aren’t racing at Badwater. So why is the average runner drawn to such technical offerings? Part of the appeal of the most advanced running apparel is that regardless of your speed, it can help you feel like you're optimizing your potential.

“Even if it’s over-engineered for what you’re trying to do, people like to demonstrate that they're wearing the best-in-class technology,” said Groh. “We're seeing a lot more of our hyper-technical pieces fly out quicker than the traditional or casual running wear. After all, you can't wear your PR on your shirt, but you can wear MothTech.”

This kind of IYKYK-signalling is part of the fun of getting into a hobby. Outdoor pursuits are both ways of exploration and expression. But that expression doesn’t have to be limited to the site of the exploration.

“The boundaries between outdoor, everyday wear and fashion have become much more fluid, so people are looking for pieces that work technically on the trail but also have a strong visual identity off it,” PMO’s Braun told me. “Transparency lets those functional details become part of the design language, so performance and aesthetics aren't separate conversations.”

People have been forecasting the end of gorpcore for years. A GQ article from 2024 (“RIP Gorpcore”) attempted to lay it to rest. But it has merely evolved, with aesthetics and functionality working in tandem rather than being seen as opposites. “The interesting work happens when innovation serves both performance and style,” said Gromark. “If a technical solution also creates a distinctive visual language, that's where we believe great design lives.”

The transparency trend is simply further evidence that technical advances can result in striking design. Like the emperor’s new clothes, you might be able to see through it. But this iteration is also suitable for the summit.