Arc'teryx has opened the doors to a new store in London's Covent Garden, complete with an on-site service center where experts will wash and repair your Arc'teryx gear free of charge. The new store is the largest in Europe, and is a relocation from the previous location at 49 Long Acre.
Arc'teryx has two other stores in London, in Piccadilly and Battersea Power Station, but occupying 733 square metres, the new Covent Garden branch is by far the biggest, with a rainbow of technical gear downstairs, including a huge selection of jackets.
Head upstairs (past an impressive display of real plants) and you'll find backpacks, accessories and the new line of Arc'teryx shoes. There's also a concession dedicated to the Veilance range of technical gear made for city living.
Take a left and you'll arrive at the ReBIRD service center, where you can bring your gear to be refreshed and repaired so it lasts as long as possible. The center only handles Arc'teryx gear, but you don't need to have a receipt from when you bought it. The in-store experts can even determine whether your jacket is genuine or not if you bought it from a third-party retailer (fakes are surprisingly common).
Gore-Tex needs washing regularly to keep its waterproof properties, and down jackets benefit from regular cleaning to keep them fluffy and insulating, but not everyone has the facilities to do it themselves at home and the washers at launderettes often have a buildup of detergent and fabric conditioner that you don't want on your gear. The ReBIRD workshop has an industrial-sized washer and dryer specifically for washing technical gear. Just bring your items in, and the team will take care of the rest.
A labelled and color-coded jacket on a mannequin shows all the repairs that can be carried out, from replacing zippers through to replacing entire panels. It's impressive (and the multicolored demo jacket looks so cool, several people have apparently asked if they can buy it).
Some repairs take longer than others, but the team can fix minor holes and tears in a matter of minutes with small patches that will form a perfect seal to restore the fabric's integrity.
At the launch event, we saw how owners are invited to choose a color for their patch (one that blends in with the fabric, or a contrasting shade to highlight the repair), then choose how it's positioned. When they're happy, a team member will use a heavy heated press to seal it in place, then finish it with a cool press. The mend is seamless, and the jacket is ready to wear again right away.
Zippers and cords can be repaired at the service center too, and your gear can be sent off for more complex fixes like replacement of zippers and panels. There's a small charge for off-site repairs, but the team will be able to advise on prices.
Check out the Arc'teryx website for more details, opening times. and to see what's currently in stock at the Covent Garden store.
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