“But why?!” is a question I often find myself asking Vollebak when they create some of their oddly fascinating garments. A glow-in-the-dark puffer, a jacket that can survive mars, another garment literally made from woven metal, Vollebak tends to push the limits of what materials can be incorporated meaningfully into fashion. Their latest apparel? A silver-infused jacket that blocks most electromagnetic radiation.
Unlike a mere fashion flex, this jacket’s origins are rooted in hard science. The same type of shielding once used to protect NASA’s Mars Rover from terrestrial electromagnetic noise is now reimagined for the city streets. Vollebak’s Electromagnetic Shielding Bomber borrows its technology from a laboratory in Bremen, Germany – a place better known for armoring satellites and hiding them from thermal cameras than for designing streetwear. The outer shell is no marketing gimmick: it’s nylon that’s been meticulously “grown” through with pure silver, making up nearly a fifth of the entire material by mass. But why, you ask? Let me explain.
Designer: Vollebak
So what does that actually mean for the wearer? For a start, the jacket can block radio and microwave frequencies ranging from 0.2 GHz to 14 GHz. That covers everything from your standard WiFi and Bluetooth to certain satellite and radar signals. There’s even a dedicated phone pocket, engineered as a wearable Faraday cage, that can render your device invisible to the outside world – no calls, no tracking, no hacking, no matter if the phone is switched on or off. It’s a level of privacy that feels almost subversive in today’s hyper-connected landscape. Perfect for people who want to go off the grid while living in it. Boeing whistleblowers, add this to cart.
But the science doesn’t stop at signal blocking. Silver, aside from being an exceptional electrical conductor, is also naturally antimicrobial. That means this jacket isn’t just about digital security; it’s also about hygiene. The silver ions embedded in the fabric are constantly on patrol, punching holes in bacterial cell membranes and neutralizing threats before they can multiply. Given how we’ve all become a little more germ-conscious, this is a subtle but very real benefit that’s baked right into the jacket’s DNA.
Of course, all this technical bravado would mean little if the jacket didn’t also deliver on aesthetics. Vollebak has modeled the Shielding Bomber after the iconic MA-1 flight jacket – the sort of gear worn by jet-age pilots when cockpits got tighter and the need for maneuverability became paramount. The result is outerwear that feels both futuristic and classic: cropped, unfussy, and practical, but with a quiet confidence that comes from knowing you’re wrapped in something extraordinary.
So, why would anyone need a NASA-grade Faraday cage built into their clothing? The answer is partly about today’s threats – cybersecurity, location tracking, electromagnetic smog – but it’s also about tomorrow’s unknowns. As our lives become ever more entangled with wireless tech, and as concerns around privacy, health, and even space travel grow, Vollebak’s vision feels more like a form of practical foresight. Sort of like storing your crypto on a hardware wallet, or changing your passwords every 2-3 months out of an abundance of caution.
And while you might not be planning to test satellite hardware in a sealed NASA tent or jet off to Mars, there’s something compelling about having that level of protection at your fingertips – or, more accurately, on your shoulders. At £2,495 ($3,295), this isn’t impulse-buy territory. Whether you need it depends entirely on how you feel about being constantly connected, potentially tracked, and electromagnetically exposed. For some, it might seem paranoid; for others, it’s simply prudent. Either way, Vollebak has once again created something that makes us question the boundaries between clothing, technology, and personal security. And in 2025, that’s a conversation worth having.