40 Days With An Emel + Aris Smart Coat, The Innovative Wardrobe Staple [Review]

It has been a year since I was introduced to a smart coat that embraced a new generation of 'heat-technology fabrics', so is Emel + Aris still stylishly rethinking technology and rewriting the rules?

Last year, on 9th May 2016, Emel+Aris Kickstarter campaign won over 230 backers who pledged £100,891 to help bring the project to life. I then met up with founder Rana Nakhal Solset for coffee and she took some time to explain about the revolutionary heating technology she embedded in the handsome coats. As we parted ways, she promised me a chance to review her innovative coat. It wasn’t long after that I got my hands on my very own EMEL+ARIS cashmere blend wrap coat.

Smart Coat

The Arrival of the EMEL+ARIS Smart Coat

The day the coat arrived, I spent an hour exploring what it can do. I was most excited to reap the health benefits of the Far Infrared (FIR) therapy, which is reportedly known to boost the immune system. Made entirely in Europe using the finest quality fabrics made in Italy by Ing. Loro Piana & C, the EMEL+ARIS cotton trench and cashmere blend wrap coat for women, a cashmere blend overcoat and a cotton three-quarter length raincoat for men are both water repellent and wind proof.

Having already been given a stamp of approval from the likes of fashion bible Vogue, I wanted to do more than just wear the coat for a week or so and then review it. I felt like that would be an injustice. That is why I decided to live and breathe Emel+Aris for a full 40 days, long enough to spend some quality time with the coat that I had adopted into my wardrobe.

EMEL+ARIS
Emel & Aris founder Rana Nakhal Solset

DAY 1: 18th January 2017

I am in love. Soft and welcoming, adorning the Emel+Aris coat was a great moment for me. I loved the fact that I was actually wearing a coat born of the merger of fashion and technology. Many have tried, but very few have gone to market.

“The great thing about this coat is that whether you wear it with a casual outfit, office attire or a cocktail dress it will work.”

Today I wore my new coat with my favourite boyfriend jeans, a grey woolly jumper and beige ankle boots. Day one was not about the technology, but more about my first experience with the coat just as a simple coat. The great thing I found out is that it does not matter whether you wear it with a casual outfit, office attire or a cocktail dress, it will simply work. This is something that I  greatly appreciated about this coat.

DAY 6: 24th January 2017

I have been wearing the coat for 6 days now. I love how it has quickly adapted to my everyday wardrobe. I can wear it with anything. I have also experienced the heat, which is produced by a special polymer in the lining of the coat. I discovered that at the lowest setting the coat stays warm for up to five hours.

Smart Coat
FashNerd founder Muchaneta wearing EMEL+ARIS

When it comes to the heating you will be glad to hear that there are three levels of heating available. You can regulate it, choosing whether you want it operating on a low, medium and high. The technology that Emel+Aris have used ensures that you can’t overheat. Rana explained that it will be “like wearing a warm blanket.” How right she was.

DAY 10: 28th January 2017

Visited family. The womenfolk of my family were drawn to the coat. Stroking it, they could not believe that it was a coat embedded with technology. My cousin remarked, “it’s so light”, as she picked it up. Deciding that she had to try it on, she quickly realized that she could not fit it. She is not the biggest of women, and I did not have the smallest size but I do have a feeling that the coat comes in sizes that will not fit all women.

“The coat generates heat that penetrates your skin and eases joint stiffness and reduces inflammation.”

Another person who was like a moth to the flame was my mother.  She found it fascinating that the coat generates heat that penetrates your skin and eases joint stiffness and reduces inflammation. This for her, this was the selling that would prompt her to invest in an Emel+Aris coat.

DAY 15: 2 February 2017

It’s been two weeks, and my Emel+Aris is still my everyday coat. I love how the coat allows me to stay connected and warm at the same time. It is exciting times when your coat has the ability to charge your phone on the go. Although the coat is durable, I am still quite precious with it.

Smart Coat

Day 27: 14 February 2017

My coat is relatively slim cut, so the heat is close to my body. What this meant is that I didn’t need to put on extra layers. Elegant and flattering, I took advantage of the fact that the coat embraces every season and styled it with a floral midi dress and ballet pumps.

Day 33: 20 February 2017

As the weather became abnormally warm, I found myself appreciating how the coat was not just about how I dress for colder weather, but instead about having the flexibility to make outfit choices without sacrificing my personal style because it is cold outside.

DAY 37: 24 February 2017 

With my 40 days, nearly up I started wondering about whether I can dry clean my coat?

Day 40: 27 February 2017

The final day of my review left me feeling satisfied. I have found my forever coat.

After 40 Days

I continued to wear my smart coat after the 40 days. It felt natural to do so. If you were to ask me why this coat rocks, I would say that a coat that I can travel with from London then Amsterdam, followed by Russia and then back to London again all in a space of 7 days is a definite keeper.

Share Your Tips & Corrections

Founding Editor in Chief at FashNerd.com | editor@fashnerd.com | Website

Founding editor-in-chief of FashNerd.com, Muchaneta is currently one of the leading influencers writing about the merger of fashion with technology and wearable technology. She has also given talks at Premiere Vision, Munich Fabric Start and Pure London, to name a few. Besides working as a fashion innovation consultant for various fashion companies like LVMH Atelier, Muchaneta has also contributed to Vogue Business, is a senior contributor at The Interline and an associate lecturer at London College of Fashion, UAL.

REVIEW OVERVIEW
Emel + Aris
SOURCEImage Credit: Emel + Aris