We like people that don't take themselves too seriously, but do take their work seriously. That’s why we were immediately drawn towards Pat O’Rourke's instagram page @chilligansisland. The name is funny, but the photos are seriously good. With everyone having access to a good camera in their pocket, the barrier of entry to being a photographer is all but gone. The differentiator, now more than ever, is the focus.
Pat’s work, whether he is shooting with an iPhone, point-and-shoot, or a more “professional” rig; always shows a keen eye for seeing and enjoying the little things in life. We wanted to support that, so we sent our latest release up to him in Canada and had his girlfriend Rebecca Ramsdale turn the camera on him as he wears the new Marsu Jackets, Expedition Fleece’s, and Rugby shirts.
Our Marsu (aka “Marsupial”) jacket gets it’s name from its ample stow pockets. The pockets have been given double to triple the volume of a regular hand pocket on a coat due to the darts added to the pocket construction. Noteworthy advancements on the FW20 Marsu Jacket style include a higher durability main body three layer fabric sourced from Japan, new breathable three layer taping, silicone cuff adjusters and custom silicone zip pulls on the pit, pocket, and center front zips. The Marsu is a perfect all-around hard shell, and good for all seasons.
Returning to the FW20 lineup, the Expedition Fleece has been reworked in dark charcoal and beige colorways. Combination fabric used on the neck and center front zipper placket has been changed to a wool blend rip stop, equally as tough as the past season grosgrain, but slightly more supple. We’ve continued to use the “wrong" side of the high pile sherpa fleece fabric, utilizing the pile side of the fabric on the interior of the jacket. Pilling will occur on the exterior of the jacket but we’ve knowingly produced the jacket this way. The jacket’s chest stow pocket has a Japanese spec YKK coil zip closure with a large silicone loop pull that can be easily grabbed with any type of glove on. Elastic cord locks keep drafts out of the waist opening of our heavy fleece jacket style.
New to FW20 is the Zip Front Rugby Shirt, milled from durable 400 GSM combed cotton with a soft hand feel. We used a locking YKK zipper set into the front placket instead of tradition rubber buttons. Rubber buttons were a clever innovation for the sport of rugby so that buttons would flex and come undone rather than pop off when the shirt was pulled on. Our zipper front makes it easier to take the shirt off and on and will hold the desired zipper position when being worn. The collar uses the same 2-ply twill found on our FW20 banks banks, dyed to match the base color of each colorway from the custom milled jersey. Shirts fit slightly oversized as we think a rugby shirt should never be fitted.
Pat is 5'11" and 165 lbs. He wears size Medium for jackets and the rugby.