Arc'teryx is a Canadian high-end design company specializing in outdoor apparel and equipment headquartered in North Vancouver, British Columbia. It focuses on technical apparel for mountaineering and Alpine sports, including related accessories. The company's name and logo reference the Archaeopteryx, the transitional fossil of early dinosaurs to modern dinosaurs (birds). Arc'teryx is known for its waterproof Gore-Tex shell jackets, knitwear, and down parkas. 

Founded in 1989 as Rock Solid, the company re-branded in 1991 as Arc'teryx to produce outerwear and climbing gear for the Coast Mountains in Canada. The company was sold to Salomon Group in 2001 and Amer Sports in 2005, and in turn Amer was sold to Anta Sports in 2019. Arc'teryx maintains two divisions: Veilance, their luxury streetwear retailer and LEAF, their retailer of technical gear for law enforcement and military forces. 

The company is a major influence in the "gorpcore" and "normcore" fashion movements, the wearing of minimalist, technical apparel in urban settings. It is prominent in streetwear fashion, a variety of youth subcultures, and global outdoor culture. The brand is colloquially known as "dead bird".

History
Originally named "Rock Solid" by co-founder Dave Lane, the company's first line of products was climbing gear. Dave Lane sold his 50% interest to Blair Murdoch and Tim Duholke who became silent partners in 1989. Then-principal and co-founder Jeremy Guard changed the company name to Arc'teryx in 1991. The name and logo reference the Archaeopteryx, the transitional fossil of early dinosaurs to modern dinosaurs (birds). Guard chose the name to represent the idea of accelerating evolution as characterized by the geologic time scale of fossils.

Guard was president and principal of the company from 1991 to 2001. Using a heat laminate (thermolamination) technology, the partners designed and marketed the Vapor harness, which would become the company's most popular item. In 1993, after a series of relocations and staff additions, Arc'teryx released the Bora backpack using the same Vapor technology. In 1996, the company introduced technical apparel featuring Gore-Tex after obtaining licenses from W. L. Gore & Associates. Arc'teryx re-located its headquarters to Burnaby, British Columbia in 1999 and then to North Vancouver in 2005.

In 2001, Arc'teryx was purchased by Salomon Group, a French subsidiary of the German retailer Adidas. In 2005, Arc'teryx was sold to Finnish retailer Amer Sports. In 2019, Chinese retailer Anta Sports bought a controlling stake (56%) in Amer. 

The Arc'teryx head office is located in North Vancouver with harnesses, backpacks, and other apparel made in its factory in New Westminster. As their apparel line expanded Arc'teryx began manufacturing in international markets, specifically in China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Laos, and Greece.

Since the early 2020s, Arc'teryx has co-produced collections with high-fashion brands and designers which expanded their consumer market beyond outdoor enthusiasts.

Divisions 
Their garments, accessories, and apparel is organized into various product families differentiated by the Greek alphabet, e.g. Alpha, Beta, Delta, Gamma, Rho, Sigma, and Zeta.

 Veilance: their luxury formal streetwear line was founded in 2009, branded as Arc'teryx Veilance. 
 LEAF: their Law Enforcement and Armed Forces (LEAF) line is aimed at the military and police market. In the consumer and Internet market, it is often referred to as "military birds".

Subculture 
Arc'teryx has become prominent in streetwear fashion, a variety of youth subcultures, and global outdoor culture. The theft ("racking") of Arc'teryx and other Gore-Tex items is considered to be part multiple youth subcultures. It is seen as a high-end status symbol among youth, "just shy of Stone Island and Moncler." The Atlantic noted the brand as selling "premium-tier outdoorsiness" while the Financial Times noted one of their largest demographics as "urbanites" in 2022. Labeled a cult brand by Fast Company in 2021, Arc'teryx is worn by "[both] hikers and hype-beasts" according to The New York Times.  

The company is a major influence in the "gorpcore" and "normcore" fashion movements – the wearing of minimalist, outdoor apparel in urban settings, along with Mammut, REI, Marmot and Patagonia. Throughout 2022, a TikTok trend emerged where individuals would shower, fully clothed with an Arc'teryx jacket, as British rapper YT's song "Arc'teryx" played in the background. The brand is known as "dead bird" by followers. Arc'teryx is a staple of Generation Z and zillenial fashion, particularly in the U.S. and Canada. Luxury fashion houses that have minimalist aesthetics collaborate with Arc'teryx to produce capsule collections, according to The New York Times.

See also 

 Moncler, Stone Island, and Canada Goose
 Streetwear and minimalist fashion 
 List of outdoor industry parent companies
 Coast Mountains and Canadian Arctic tundra

References

External links
 

2010s fashion
Camping equipment manufacturers
Canadian companies established in 1989
Clothing brands of Canada
Clothing companies established in 1989
Clothing companies of Canada
Companies based in Vancouver
Climbing and mountaineering equipment companies
Outdoor clothing brands
Retail companies established in 1989
1989 establishments in British Columbia

de:Amer Sports#Arc'teryx