Our designers were tasked with a question: You’re packing for a trip around the world and can only pack one pair of pants. You wouldn’t know what conditions you’d be facing and had no back-up if they got dirty, smelly, ripped, or stained. What material would you choose for their construction? Their answer: Everywhere fabric. This is why the term “travel pants” gets thrown around so often. Think of it as the greatest compliment a fabric could receive.

Let’s take it back to the beginning. It’s hard to imagine a time before synthetic fabrics like nylon were used for clothing, but humans suffered in non-technical fabrics for centuries. The history of nylon – the first commercially successful synthetic thermoplastic polymer – is an interesting one. In fact, it got its start in 1938 as bristles on a toothbrush before striking the big time in 1940 as women’s stockings or “nylons” that sold 64-million pairs in its first year on the market. Then World War II hit, and all nylon production was diverted to the military for use in parachutes. (Sounds crazy, but pre-wartime nylons hit the black market for greatly inflated prices during this time.) It was these wartime uses of nylon and other related plastics that really opened the market post-war. Marketers of nylon as a revolutionary man-made material soon realized that some consumers experienced a sense of distrust towards synthetic fabrics and had to combat rumors that it was produced with chemicals extracted from corpses.

Around 1950 was the dawn of blending nylon with other existing fibers or polymers such as cotton, polyester, and spandex. This solved any problems with pure nylon fabric (like static) and led to the development of an array of blended fabrics that retained the desirable properties of nylon like elasticity and durability.

The next great leap forward in the evolution of nylon was its introduction into the 686 technical apparel line in 2018. After extensive field testing our design team found the optimal performance blend was the addition of 6% spandex and the rest is history. This was the fabric chosen above all others to center the 686 EveryWear apparel around. The optimal amount of stretch. The perfect amount of durability to make it move with you and drape just right. Breathable, but still with a water and stain resistant finish and an Ultraviolet Protection Factor of 40+. If you wanted to create a piece of apparel to perform at a high level across the board, Everywhere fabric is up for the job.

While the Everywhere Pants were the inception of the Everywhere fabric, it proved so versatile that we introduced it across our range. Various fits, various styles, and even hats. So, no matter the activity or the temperature you’ll be covered by a pair of shorts, pants, or even a hat. Everywhere. It’s in the name.