Qualité et performance : Une visite à Arc'One

Quality and Performance: A Visit to Arc'One

La Cordée

September 18, 2025

5 minutes

Constantly evolving, today’s outdoor technical apparel industry is filled with brands striving to stand out through style, innovation, and a promise of quality, durability, and performance. Yes, you too can summit a 2,000-meter mountain or race down a steep slope at thrilling speeds on your skis — all thanks to the specially designed gear from brand X. At Arc’teryx, this promise isn’t just a claim proudly made by the company; it’s a philosophy deeply shared by every member of its team.

In the past, like so many other competing manufacturers, the renowned brand had to go to great lengths to prove the exceptional quality of its craftsmanship. Today, that reputation is a given. The mere mention of the name Arc’teryx evokes an image of unmatched quality, durability, performance, and technical expertise — all still uncontested. But a reputation that resonates with so many people on a global scale doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of decades of hard work, an unwavering vision, and an unparalleled passion for the outdoors.

Unmatched Expertise

During a visit to ARC’One, located just outside North Vancouver, you are quickly immersed in a world that blends a love for the outdoors with advanced apparel and gear manufacturing technologies. ARC’One is both the Design Centre and the Canadian production site of the renowned brand. All Gore-Tex products are made here. At first glance, it looks less like a production line and more like a vast network of workshops and laboratories, bustling with highly specialized and focused engineers, technicians, and workers — all united by one mission: to create the very best outdoor apparel and equipment, without exception.

Each workstation is its own microcosm, where one or more people dedicate themselves to perfecting a single step in the making of a technical garment. If, after inspection, the work isn’t 100% flawless, the item is either reworked or recycled, depending on the case. The tools and machines you see wouldn’t look out of place at NASA — that’s the level of technical precision on display. Yet while these unique tools, machinery, and processes are critical to production, Arc’teryx places even greater value on its people, for they are the ones who bring these exceptional garments to life.

A Motivated and Inspired Team – A Winning Combination

This same team is encouraged to take time to enjoy their favorite outdoor activities. Let’s not forget that the impressive North Shore mountains are only minutes north of Vancouver. This unique region is a true playground for outdoor enthusiasts, and from the very beginning, Arc’teryx has made the most of it. Inspiration is right there, in every direction.

Being able to step out of the design office or production floor for a few hours of ski touring in the mountains just outside the city, fill your lungs with mountain air, and then return to work to pick up where you left off is a powerful driving force for Arc’teryx designers, engineers, and workers. It allows them to design and create apparel and equipment with an innate understanding of exactly what each piece needs for its intended use — nothing more, nothing less.

Interesting detail or trivial fact, you decide: hanging from the production floor ceiling is a fan of mythical proportions, straight out of a Jules Verne novel, with blades easily stretching ten meters each.

This is Arc’teryx — nothing is ordinary, not even a ceiling fan.

A Redefined Sense of Quality

By the end of the ARC’One tour, one thing was clear to me: the brand’s craftsmanship and level of innovation truly stand at the forefront. My perception of quality had been forever redefined.

As I stepped back outside through the main doors of ARC’One, I zipped up my Arc’teryx jacket against the cool air and realized I was wearing one of the finest pieces of outerwear ever designed. At that moment, I felt a curious surge of positive energy run through me.

Or perhaps it was simply the fresh mountain air of the North Shore brushing my face, calling me back toward the peaks.

Then again, no… it was definitely the jacket!