I’ve been a Patagonia fanboy for a while now, but on a drive to broaden my horizons I’m always on the lookout for other ethical outdoor clothing brands.
While browsing Christchurch’s Bivouac store, I noticed a single clothing rack for a brand called Picture. The style of the gear on display had instant appeal, and on checking the label I was happy to see the brand has a firm sustainability focus.
I’ve owned an Icebreaker MerinoLOFT insulated jacket for a few years, and while it looks good in a business setting I’ve found it a little lacking when it comes to actual insulation and performance.
More recently I bought a Patagonia Nano Puff, said to be the pinnacle of insulated hiking jackets. While I enjoy it, I’ve always struggled with Patagonia’s sizing. It’s always either too snug and so tricky to layer, or too baggy and tricky to keep warm in.
So giving myself the excuse that it was OK to buy a third insulated jacket because I needed one with a hood, I decided to go ahead and take home the Picture Takashima.
Note: I’m 6ft 2 and 92 kg and bought the Takashima in large. The fit is perfect.
About Picture
Picture Organic Clothing is a Certified B Corporation French clothing brand that was started in 2008 by three snowboarding friends. Its unusual name stems from a snowboarding movie, Picture This. “Picture products are made from 100% recycled, organic or responsibly sourced materials.” I suspect they had to add ‘Organic Clothing’ to the name in some uses to help connect the name to its product, unlike the adventure-sounding brands of Patagonia, Outdoor Research, Icebreaker, The North Face, and others.
While a French company, the Picture team are transparent in addressing why they don’t make their products in their home country and they are supporters of the Fashion Revolution movement to promote greater transparency in the garment manufacturing industry. Having said that, it’s surprisingly hard to find on their website or labels that, in fact, this jacket is made in China. However, they add pre-text to this of ‘Made in an Ethical Factory’.
A Quick Overview of the Takashima
The Takashima is a medium-weight insulated jacket that combines sections of insulation and a water-repelling shell with stretchy panels that allow movement and help hold the jacket to your body to keep you warm.
It has some nice features that raise it above the simpler Nano Puff in some areas, while it lacks slightly in others. More below.
Materials
Like the Nano Puff, the Takashima is made from 100% recycled polyester (shell, lining, and padding). The shell is 30D lightweight ripstop with ‘PrimaLoft Black‘ synthetic microfiber insulation at 100g/m2. The lining is a 30D light polyester taffeta lining.
The jacket also features a PFC-free water repellent finish called Teflon EcoElite, which Teflon call the world’s first plant-based textile repellent. (If you’ve seen the movie Dark Waters then like me you might be concerned about seeing the Teflon name associated with ethical clothing. Hopefully they’re making up for their past.)
The side panels and the sleeve undersides are a soft Polartec Power Stretch fabric that help with body mapping while also providing comfort thanks to four-way stretch.
Warmth and Weather Resistance
I recently hiked Mt Thomas in Canterbury, New Zealand, and made an effort to wear the jacket throughout to give it a good test.
I found the Takashima to be highly versatile when used in combination with a simple long-sleeve t-shirt. Ensuring you have a long-sleeve t helps stop the polyester inner of the sleeves from feeling uncomfortable on a sweat-inducing climb, but otherwise this was all I needed on a cold day to keep me warm. On the steep ascent on a 12 degree (C) day, I did become too warm, but just unzipping on those sections helped make the jacket suitable to wear throughout the five-hour mountain hike.
On the summit sections, while the wind picked up and had quite an edge to it, the Takashima resisted the wind and kept me warm. Shortly afterwards, the sky turned dark and I found myself descending for over an hour in fairly sustained rain. While I had a Patagonia Torrentshell in my bag and was ready to layer that over the top of my jacket – creating a perfectly cosy and waterproof combo of insulation and waterproofing – I stubbornly continued in just the Takashima and finished the walk with a surprisingly dry torso. The water had just started to penetrate the end of my sleeves, but I was quite comfortable and could have hiked in the rain for another hour.
Practical Features
Elasticated Trim & Hood
One thing that stands out on this jacket the moment you put it on is the use of elastic to keep it snug. The elasticated trim around the bottom does a great job of holding the jacket to your hips, preventing icy drafts from blowing up through the jacket while also helping to prevent the jacket for rising up while carrying a backpack. All without the need for a toggle and drawstring (like on the Nano Puff).
The elasticated cuffs were also excellent. Depending on where you position them, they either help your sleeves to fit over your watch to keep it out of the weather, or they hold your sleeves just before your watch so you can keep track of your progress (or in my case, help keep your watch exposed to charge it in the sun).
The only place where the elasticated trim is less of a benefit is around the hood. I used the hood on the descent during rain and found it to do a great job of keeping a pocket of warmth around my ears, but the hood – designed to accommodate a helmet – is quite roomy and if I was facing into a good wind I doubt the hood would have fared well. There’s no adjustment at the back of the hood and the hood doesn’t roll up. You’d probably get better results if you wore a beanie under the hood to help fill some of the space, but overall it is a good hood that performs well in rain, just so long as it’s not too windy.
Three Zipped Pockets
There are two spacious, zipped hip pockets which have a warm and very comfortable inner lining. They’re placed well and easy enough to access when wearing a backpack’s hip belt. The chest pocket (a ‘Napoleon’ pocket) is also a good size, just about fitting my Samsung S23+ mobile with its 6.6″ screen plus a case. The chest pocket also did a good job of keeping my mobile dry during rain, although as its entirely lined with polyester you don’t really want to put something in there that’s been exposed to rain as it’s not a breathable pocket.
Where the Takashima falls slightly short is that it doesn’t have any internal pockets. I quite like having a simple, large inner pocket for gloves or a map. Having said that, my Nano Puff only has two hip pockets so the Takashima wins this one.
All three pockets are zipped – the jacket’s main zip is YKK but I don’t believe the pocket zips are – and all zips have a pull-tab to help their use while wearing gloves. The pull-tabs have cute small trees on them to match the Picture logo, which is a nice detail.
Packability?
Interestingly the (many) tags attached to the jacket in the store include a reference of ‘Packable’ along with an icon showing a packed jacket shape that would be familiar to those who pack their Patagonia insulated jackets into their respective pockets. I made the mistake of trying to pack the Takashima into its pocket before realising it really wasn’t going to fit. Returning to the label, I see there’s an asterisk and a disclaimer that says ‘on selected products only’. So, a bit misleading there, but the jacket does at least squash down enough into a small space in your backpack without really needing to self-zip. Also note that the ‘reflective details’ on the same label also don’t appear to be for this jacket.
Good Jacket Then?
The Takashima has just enough design features to present a bold look without being showy. The unique style and a lesser-known brand helps this jacket to standout amongst the Patagonia fans at the ski lodge. It’s a jacket for those who are fans of sustainable and ethical clothing that need their jacket to perform in the outdoors while still being suitable around town, without needing to swap between various styles of jacket.
You’ll get by just fine on a rainy day, but you’ll get awesome results from this jacket when combined with a good layering system, with this jacket placed under a serious waterproof shell and over a long-sleeved t-shirt or a thin jersey-and-t.
Overall, and having regularly worn my Icebreaker and Patagonia in the past, I’m a convert. The Takashima is very comfortable to wear, practical, and looks great, all while offering excellent technical performance. Crucially for 2023 and beyond, it’s also ethically made through sustainable processes using recycled materials. I’ll still switch between this and my more minimalist Patagonia Nano Puff on occasion – when I want to have a little less of an outdoorsy look – but I’d definitely recommend the Picture Takashima to anyone who asks.
What Picture Say
The ideal protection for outdoor and urban excursions on the coldest days.
The Takashima Jacket is a warm hybrid synthetic down jacket that can be used as a lightweight and warm mid-layer or even as an outer layer. It includes every feature that the style and performance-driven enthusiast is looking for. The Polartec® Power Stretch® fabric wicks moisture away to keep you warm and comfortable whatever the activity. This fast-drying and highly breathable fabric also includes body-mapping construction to provide the perfect combination of technical performance and unrivalled freedom of movement. Designed for lightweight warmth, it features Primaloft® insulation and a PFC-free durable water repellent treatment. The ergonomic hood, stretch cuffs, and zippered pockets provide even more protection against the elements. Lightweight and warm, our Takashima Jacket is perfect for skiing or any outing on the coldest of winter days.
Where to Buy
I bought the Picture Takashima from Bivouac, a quality outdoor gear chain in New Zealand, in May 2023. The brand is quite new to Bivouac and wasn’t included in their big winter sale for that reason. Bivouac appear to be introducing the brand slowly, with just one colour option in each product at time of writing. Hopefully it’s well received and the range grows. You can view all Picture products on the Bivouac website.
At NZ$349.99, it’s not the cheapest jacket you’ll buy, but when compared to other technical jackets from reputable outdoor brands it actually stands up quite well. Not to mention that those who care that their jacket is made ethically and sustainably (note: this should be everyone) should be OK with paying a fair price.
You can view more about the company and where to buy in your country on the Picture Organic Clothing website.
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