Calm in the Storm - ARC’TERYX 2025 FW Window Design
In August 2025, with the official launch of Arc'teryx's all-new Beta AR Jacket, PILLS was invited to design the fall-winter window displays, which have been simultaneously unveiled at over a hundred stores across major cities in China. The displays will remain in place until early October. Centered around the core narrative of "Calm in the Storm" this season's window design integrates laboratory-like technological testing into urban street settings. It comprehensively showcases the abrasion resistance and lightweight structure of the new GORE-TEX PRO ePE fabric, offering the public an immersive experience that extends from the storefront to the wilderness.
- The New Beta AR Jacket: Lighter, Stronger, Longer-lasting. ARC'TERYX was born in the coastal mountains of Canada and is renowned for its professional and hardcore outdoor gear rooted in alpine environments. As one of the brand's most iconic classic styles, the Beta AR Jacket has long been synonymous with the "all-around mountain hardshell". The newly released version this season adopts the exclusive GORE-TEX PRO ePE fabric, jointly developed by ARC'TERYX and GORE-TEX, achieving another breakthrough in functionality and durability. As a mountain hardshell designed to withstand wind and rain while reducing load, the Beta AR Jacket’s design logic not only prioritizes functionality but also strikes a balance, allowing the lightweight feel of the ePE membrane fabric to coexist with the durability brought by structural innovation. This embodies ARC'TERYX’s brand spirit of "continuous evolution and breakthrough." Inspired by this philosophy, PILLS' window design transforms technological testing into a public narrative, turning the window into a stage where lifestyle aesthetics and craftsmanship spirit converge.
- Calm in the Storm The inspiration for the window design stems from the ARC’One Manufacture. In this manufacture that embodies ARC’TERYX’s craftsmanship spirit, various robotic arms continuously conduct a series of rigorous tests exceeding industry standards—including abrasion resistance, tensile strength, and torsion stress resistance. Skills, knowledge, and experience converge here, driving the continuous evolution of the brand’s technology. PILLS translates this "hardcore testing" into a publicly visible window stage, creating a rational yet dynamic experimental scene that allows customers to witness the Beta AR Jacket undergoing numerous rounds of refinement. The overall window uses a gray-green color palette, reminiscent of alpine tundra, expanded into six shades. It mimics rock textures to symbolize the complex terrain and variable climatic conditions of alpine hiking, fostering a stark natural atmosphere. This allows viewers on urban streets to imagine themselves in the wild and feel the power of nature. The side panels, floor, ceiling, and background are integrated into a single unit, eliminating the separation between individual elements and the backdrop, and turning the window into a complete immersive stage. Meanwhile, the overall color scheme naturally echoes the olive-moss green of this season’s new collection. The window background is designed as an array of fabricated background. Natural elements that easily tear clothing during hiking—such as twigs, gravel, and rocks—are placed behind the fabric. These elements continuously scrape the front fabric, yet never pierce or damage it, further emphasizing the fabric’s durability. In terms of details, we specifically selected plants that grow at high altitudes as visual symbols, aligning with the Beta AR Jacket’s positioning this season—tailored for alpine hiking at 3,000 meters. With mechanical movement complemented by backlighting, these pine branches and fruits are transformed into dynamic elements, building a scenic context for the window. This evokes the imagination of being in the wild and hiking, amplifying the sensory immersive experience within the limited space. At the core of the window, the Beta AR Jacket is suspended from nearly invisible lightweight mechanical rods, showcasing the lightness brought by its structural innovation. "Simulated testing" focuses on the areas of the garment most prone to wear during actual use. Centered on the garment, three sets of robotic arms are arranged around it, continuously rotating and abrading to simulate common wear scenarios in outdoor sports: repeated friction from backpack shoulder straps, scraping against rock surfaces, and scratching from wild plants. The continuous movement of the mechanical devices not only materializes "high-wear scenarios" and injects dynamic expression into the window, but also intuitively conveys the performance enhancement of the new generation PRO-level fabric in complex mountain environments. In the key display (DP) area inside the store, we further strengthen the integration of wild mountain imagery and tech-inspired spatial language. The fabricated background is removed, exposing the mechanical movement devices and visually juxtaposing them with alpine plants—creating a striking contrast with the lightweight, thin fabric. The steel robotic arms, operating connecting rods, and transmission devices add an industrial touch to the display. This tech-driven presentation language naturally resonates with the high-performance fabric used in the garment.
- The 2025 fall-winter window design of ARC’TERYX is a practice that integrates spatial narrative, mechanical devices, and brand spirit. Narrative-wise, this window design carries forward the brand’s spirit of "Explore Limits and Pursue Excellence". Form-wise, it juxtaposes tech-inspired installations with natural imagery, transforming the wear resistance and lightweight structure of the high-performance fabric into an experience directly perceptible to the public. The window is more than just a container for product display—it is a form of brand narrative. It tells the story of how the Beta AR Jacket accompanies users in extreme outdoor environments, keeps them calming in the storm, and supports them in moving forward with determination. In terms of overall atmosphere, this window design not only conveys the brand’s hardcore technological vibe but also evokes the natural mood of mountains and wilderness. The tech-driven spatial language, alpine imagery, and high-tech fabric echo each other, allowing viewers on urban streets to envision the real scenes and experiences of outdoor hiking. Thus, the window becomes a spiritual landmark, conveying ARC’TERYX’s brand spirit of "Explore Limits and Pursue Excellence" to every viewer in a poetic yet resolute manner.
Project Information Project Name: ARC'TERYX 2025FW Window & DP Design Client: ARC'TERYX Design Date: July 2025 Design Firm: PILLS Design Lead: Zigeng Wang Design Team: Manying Wang, Chenyao Liu, Shilin Liu, Zi Ye, Kangchun Sun, Haoran Chen, Li Dai Curatorial Team: Xu Zhang, Xingzhu Jiang Acknowledgements: bespoke. Sur-Mesure Engineering Studio Photography: Yu Bai, Yuting Zhang, Shilin Liu Editors: Linna Yuan, Xiangning Chen
