BRYTER LAYTER

Pearson’s first waterproof cycling jacket is inspired by an icon of Britain’s musical past but designed with future generations in mind.

It'll be bryter layter, promise.

The musician Nick Drake enjoyed a prolific, if brief, musical career. His first album, Five Leaves Left, was released in 1969, his third and final, Pink Moon, in 1972. Sandwiched between them is the 1971 release Bryter Layter, an album as well known for its idiosyncratic spelling as its artistic content. Drake’s influence was felt only after his premature death, in 1974 at the age of just 26, his delicate vocals and instrumentals inspiring the likes of Kate Bush and The Cure.

Drake died from an overdose of the antidepressant drug amitriptyline, although it is not known if that was his intention. According to some fans, the spelling of Bryter Layter is a nod to BBC weather reports of the period; others insist it was simply visual, that Drake liked the way it looked typographically.

Nick Drake - an icon of his age. A sound inspiring generations.

Drake lived at time when weather reports were still relatively approximate. Before slick computer animation, television weather forecasters simply stuck magnetic symbols to a large map. (Rainclouds at the top, in Scotland, and the sun at the bottom, near London.) ‘Brighter later’ was both a jolly sign-off and a frank admission that the meteorological equipment of the day could only tell you so much. Famously, it was this technology that was unable to tell BBC weatherman Michael Fish that the greatest storm to hit Britain in living memory would come along, approximately, in 1987.

Today you can monitor the weather on your phone with pinpoint accuracy. Knowing there will be rain in Reading at two minutes past one, or wind in Wakefield at midnight is all well and good. Nobody would dispute the value of such tech in saving lives or protecting infrastructure. By eliminating the prospect of the unexpected, however, it does remove a bit of the fun from life. The not-knowing – and preparing just in case – used to be part of the excitement of any ride. Cycling is about many things, of course, but few other pastimes are as instructive as riding a bike, few better placed to teach self-sufficiency.

Bryter Layter, our new jacket named in Nick Drake’s honour is a genuine first for Pearson – a piece of fully waterproof apparel. Given we’ve been around longer than any other cycling company, a cynic might suggest we should have called the jacket Better Late Than Never. But then, timing is everything. 

Reflective detailing ensures visibility in low-light conditions

The extreme changes in weather patterns witnessed across the planet in recent decades have made for grim reading; devastating wildfires, a reduction in polar ice caps and rising atmospheric and sea temperatures. Given what we know about the role of excess – ie manmade – carbon dioxide, it’s more important than ever to do what we can to reduce it. That’s where Pearson’s commitment to sustainability comes in.

Designed to keep you dry and to inspire you to ride, the jacket is made from 100% recycled nylon, so has a lower carbon footprint. The result is a lightweight, highly breathable fabric, cut and constructed to offer you the maximum protection against the elements. Bryter Layter is topped and tailed with a high-cut collar and elasticated drawstring waist, while the arms have an articulated fit shaped for a riding position without compromising your range of movement. Elasticated cuffs prevent drafts sneaking in at the wrist, while taped internal seams offer belt-and-braces weatherproofing.

And just in case your phone gets it wrong, or only approximately right, the jacket can be easily stowed in a pocket. So, as Nick Drake might have put it, get out there and ryde your byke.

View Bryter Layter jacket here >

Read our guide on how to look after your waterproof jacket here >