For Regular Guys, a Look of Combat

For Regular Guys, a Look of Combat

WATCHING the fanfare that follows any new product announcement from Apple, like the one on Tuesday that included a smaller version of the iPad, the thought occurs that fashion designers are not doing enough to foster innovation in their field. People just don’t seem to get as excited about a new pair of pants as they do a faster computer processor.

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“If you look at your iPhone or your computer, everything has changed,” said Christy Raedeke, the director of marketing for a supplier of high-tech military apparel called Massif, the name taken from the geology of mountains. “But your khakis are always the same.”

That may be an overly broad generalization, but it helps explain the rationale of the designers of Massif, who previously specialized in the development of flame-resistant uniforms for combat troops and C.I.A. operatives, to dip their toes into the world of high fashion.

The company, started in 1999 in Ashland, Ore., recently began selling a collection of tailored sportswear, designed for regular guys, with some of the same technologies it uses for the military. The tag line on its label is “clothing for spies,” and the styles include a field jacket in dark camouflage and a performance jacket in a “stealth silhouette,” meaning it is sleek and black.

At a glance, the clothes do not look all that innovative, but then, the details are rather stealthy. Several of the jackets, starting at $350, have hidden pockets, including one on the right sleeve just above the wrist, for quick access to a MetroCard, if not a bayonet. One field jacket actually has eight pockets. On cargo pants, from $165, the pocket is sized for a smartphone.

“We don’t need such a big cargo pocket,” said Scott Branscum, the general merchandise manager for Massif. “A guy doesn’t walk around with a big notebook on his leg.”

Since the collection began appearing at Bloomingdale’s and several specialty stores around the country this fall, guys have responded. Fred Segal sold more than 30 of the jackets in a matter of weeks, which is not quite on the level of a new gadget, but it suggests that Massif is ready for combat on the sales floor.