Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette in our series, is it worth it?
Today, we discuss the puffy down jackets from Moncler and determine if they're worth your
money or not.
Moncler is pronounced that way because it's derived from the name of a town, Monestier-de-Clermont,
so it's not Mon-cli, its Moncler.
If you want to learn how to properly pronounce other luxury brand names, please check out
this video here.
Moncler has been making puffy jackets since the 1950s and they've been around for a while
and they've become quite iconic.
The classic versions of the puffy down jackets retail anywhere from $1100 to $1500 which
is quite an investment so reason enough to determine whether it's worth it or not.
As always, let's start with the history to see if they're worth the price tag.
Originally, Moncler was established as a maker of quilted sleeping bags in 1952.
Even though they're most well known for their puffy down jackets, they didn't invent them,
that honor actually goes to Eddie Bauer came up with the idea in 1936.
Ever since its inception, Moncler produced down products but they were more utilitarian
and meant for workers who were out on the mountain.
Eventually, a French Mountaineer by the name of Lionel Terray approached Moncler and asked
if they could make jackets for his expeditions.
They accepted the challenge and from that point forward, they were the providers of
exhibition gear for many mountaineering groups.
For example in 1954, Moncler outfitted the first crew that successfully climbed the K2.
By 1968, Moncler had become so popular and well known that they were named the official
supplier of the French National Ski Team.
With the spotlight on the company, Moncler decided to change their logo from the Mount
Eguit to the cockerel which is still the Moncler logo today.
The iconic Moncler puffy down jacket, as we know it today, came about to be in the 1980s.
Young Italian men dubbed the paninari started wearing work wear such as the brightly colored
puffy jackets from Moncler as well as timberland boots as part of their subculture.
Moncler responded to the trend by adding a shiny finish to their jackets as well as fur
trimming.
In 2003, Moncler was purchased by the Italian entrepreneur Remo Ruffini and he moved their
headquarters to Milan that remains today.
Under new direction, Moncler decided to focus more on the fashion side of things rather
than the expedition based quality segment.
Because of that, they came up with the Gamme Rouge collection.
At around at the same time, Giambattista Valli started designing for Moncler.
Today, Moncler is truly a fashion brand that prices their products in the luxury range.
Because of that, Moncler jackets are no longer target to sporty outdoorsman or expeditioners.
Instead, they show up at Fashion Week and that's the realm now.
Interestingly, they claim that they still focus on expedition gear, for some reason
though, it's not for sale.
Nevertheless, Moncler puffy down jackets have become a true status symbol from many out
there and as a consequence, they're faked a lot.
So obviously, Moncler has some history to it even though they're now more focused on
the fashion side of things.
So let's look at the jacket, we bought two of their more iconic styles which are short
and hip length puffy with a shiny satiny finish.
One is red, the other one is blue which also happen to be their brand color.
With the finish and the colors, Moncler is intentionally bold in an area where usually
navy and black solid dominate the landscape.
Moncler jackets are known for their down filling which is very puffy and very insulating and
warm.
On their website, they claim to have a superior expertise in the down realm.
All the down fitters using their jackets are DIST certified, that's a protocol that claims
to trace traceability quality and origin of the down.
Interestingly, the trade market DIST is actually owned by Moncler so it's not an independent
agency but it's their own quality control seal, therefore, the quality claims of the
down is actually certified by a subsidiary of Moncler and not by an outside third party.
Before we go further down the rabbit hole of down quality, let's take a step back and
discuss what down actually is.
Those are bird feathers that are very small and fine and flexible and because of that,
when put together, they create air chambers which insulate both ways.
On the one hand, they insulate from the cold air from the outside; on the other hand, they
preserve the body heat which is very favorable for animals.
Normally, goose downs are the most widely known quality down feathers.
There are others such as water fowl but they're usually not commercially used because even
better, they're more expensive.
Also, the highest quality down feathers through geese have to be plucked from live animals.
Later pluckings are better because the down feathers are even finer than the earlier ones
and therefore, they insulate even more.
However, plucking the down feathers from live geese means they suffer from extreme pain
and stress which is just animal cruelty.
If you follow our channels, you know that we always look for the utmost and quality,
however, in this case, we would argue that you should protect the animals and go with
down feathers that are plucked from dead geese because they're still very warm and very functional
and you are just not treating animals in a cruel way.
Now let's go back to Moncler.
They claim to use superior downs yet they use surprisingly few numbers to back those
claims up.
They claim that their down cluster content is at least 90% with 10% being other feathers.
Now, the higher the pure down content, the more insulating the jacket and the higher
the quality the jacket will be.
To measure the quality of different down jacket compositions, there's something called the
fill power.
Fill power means as much as the volume occupied by the down feathers.
An object with a higher fill power takes up more space meaning more air is trapped and
therefore, the jacket is more insulating.
Essentially, it means that you get more warmth while maintaining the same weight.
The fill power of a Moncler down jacket is 710 which means it takes up 710 cubic inches
for 30 grams of down which is about 1 ounce.
Regular feathers have a fill power of only 300 versus the best quality down have a fill
power of 900.
Like I said, using waterfowl down would even enable you to get higher fill power numbers
but it is not worth it commercially.
So at the end of the day, 710 is a good fill number especially if you consider that the
down is supposedly plucked only from dead animals.
Next up, let's talk about the shell which is one of the iconic things of Moncler.
It's a very dense nylon that is extremely lightweight and only weighs in at 33 grams
per square meter.
It's also woven in a very fine way so you don't end up with feathers or down poking
through the shell.
This high density lacquered nylon that is shiny is something that is pretty unique to
Moncler and not many other brands use it.
So if you would like it, it's a strong reason to invest in the Moncler jacket.
If you look at the finishings of the jacket such as the snap buttons, the zippers, and
all the metal parts, I'm not too impressed.
They seem to be made out of zamak which is an alloy out of zinc, aluminum, magnesium,
and copper.
While really popular in the industry, it's really inexpensive and solid brass is, in
my opinion, a lot better.
If you look at the zipper, it's injection molded plastic and the zipper pulley is zamak
again but overall, a zipper out of the highest quality materials would be machined out of
metal with metal teeth, would be a lot smoother, and would be higher in quality.
Overall, I think the trimmings don't feel cheap but they're definitely not the highest
quality, they're more average.
I have to say though, the construction of the jacket is really neat, the seams are all
straight, there are no loose threads, no down poking through, and it appears to be a quality
product right out of box.
It also comes with elastic inserts, cuffs that can be tightened, as well as adjusters
at the bottom so you can ensure no cold wind comes in.
Next up, let's talk about the fit.
It's quite boxy and simple and it makes you look like a Michelin Man.
The sizing is quite strange, they use a numbering system and the jacket I'm wearing here is
size 5 even though that corresponds an extra-extra-large, I would say it's more like a large to extra
large in other brands.
So if you want a Moncler jacket, size up!
Even though the size is larger in their lineup, the sleeves are quite short which is something
I don't like because that's where you end up with a cold air.
Because Moncler jackets are so expensive, they're faked all over the place and in order
to verify that you have a genuine product, Moncler jackets have a barcode on the inside
jacket.
You can simply scan it with a scanner app which gets you to a website and once you sign
up, it'll tell you what name the jacket should be and what style and if it's a different
style, you know it was copied and it's a fake or if the number is wrong, it will just tell
you to get in touch with support and you know what's wrong or a fake, as well.
From 2008-2012, the verification logo looked like this.
From 2013 to 2015, it was slightly different, and from 2016 to the present, it looks like
that.
If you spent so much money in a jacket, you can at least verify if it's a true deal or
not.
So with a company with its origins in France that moved to Italy, where are the jackets
made?
According to the label, they're made in Romania which is definitely one of the lowest cost
production countries in Europe with a GDP of under 10,000 dollars per capita.
In terms of weight, it doesn't tell you exactly how heavy it is but our jackets are really
lightweight, just take a look.
So if they're lightweight, do they keep you warm?
Yes, absolutely.
As we learned before, with a fill power where air is trapped, it definitely keeps you warm.
I'm sweating here right now in the studio and outside keeps me warm even though there's
a cold wind.
What about the maintenance?
I haven't washed mine yet but the instructions seem pretty clear, it's made to be washed
but I could see how eventually, the very thin nylon shell will suffer and get destroyed
simply because it's nylon, it's not kevlar or something like that and it's just so thin.
Alright, so the big questions is, is a Moncler puffy down jacket worth it?
Well, I think undeniably for a puffy down jacket, they have very special features such
as a shiny finish, they have a good fill power, use quality down, and you don't end up with
a cheap product.
The finishes are nice, the trimmings are just average but personally, my big issue is the
value.
You're paying a lot of money for something that you can get for less from other companies,
at least in terms of functionality.
If you buy a Moncler jacket, you definitely pay more for the brand.
So what are your alternatives?
For example, North Face has a jacket with a 700 fill power and a nylon shell that is
slightly heavier, 54 grams a square meter versus 33 grams of Moncler but it only retails
for 249.
On the other hand, Patagonia's Fitzroy jacket has an 800 fill power and a lifetime guarantee
and cost about $450.
So is it worth it if you buy primarily for the performance?
I would say no, why?
You can find many other brands with either the same or a higher fill power for a lower
cost and their down is certified by third parties, not by themselves so you can trust
a little more into what you're getting.
On the other hand, if you buy primarily for the status, the style, the loud colors, and
the shiny finish, and you like to be fashion-forward and you don't mind a price tag, then yes,
by all means, invest in the Moncler jacket.
Like I said, other brands rarely do that satin finish if that's what you like, go for it.
My personal opinion, it's not worth it because I simply don't see the value.
I'm also not a big fan of the shiny finish and at the end of the day, it still makes
me look like a Michelin Man which is not very flattering at all.
If you want to be stylish, instead invest in an overcoat for about the same price, you
can almost go custom, you can get something that's really warm and looks a lot better
than a Moncler jacket does.
If you liked this video, please give us a thumbs up subscribe to the channel and check
out our other videos in the is it worth it series we look at things like the Gucci loafer
Burberry trench coat and decide whether they're worth it or not
and in today's video I'm obviously wearing a Moncler puffy down jacket with a hood it's
red and it retailed for 1175 \ I'm pairing it with a pair of jeans and a pair of Chelsea
boots in dark brown with a blue insert overall it's kind of the look that people who buy
this jacket usually have maybe they'll invest into luxury sneakers but I don't have those
so I can't wear them for the video