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People are shelling out thousands of dollars to score this winter coat on Kickstarter

smart parka
Kickstarter

A winter coat on Kickstarter is claiming to be the “best winter coat in the world. Period.”

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Meet the Smart Parka, a winter coat designed by the Canadian company North Aware that claims to have reinvented the winter jacket.

And naturally people are going crazy for it.

Smart Parka - The Best Winter Coat in the World from North Aware on Vimeo.

Created by former software developer Jamil Khan, the coat has a number of features, including a built-in scarf, gloves, a pocket for your hat inside the hood, and pouches for your phone, tablet, glasses, and wallet.

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Most of the coat's features are detachable, from the fur hood lining (in either real or faux) to the lightweight leather gloves that seamlessly zip into the sleeve pockets.

Nearly 1,500 backers have donated to the Kickstarter project with 32 days left to go. After launching in late January, it took just two days for North Aware to shoot past its original funding goal of $21,229 and the company has since raised over $370,000 USD.

The coat is said to keep wearers warm in weather conditions ranging from -13 degrees Fahrenheit to 41 degrees Fahrenheit thanks to a removable interior lining. There’s also a removable extension that transforms the waist-length jacket into a longer parka.

“Smart Parka shows there’s a gap in the outerwear market when it comes to truly protecting people from winter weather,” Toronto-based Khan said in a press release. “Technology is constantly transforming our lives. Why aren’t coat makers innovating to meet consumers’ changing needs?”

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Khan quit his job back in 2015 to design the Smart Parka after realizing there was a gap in the market for a practical, streamlined winter jacket. He wanted the coat to hold all of his winter accoutrement, not to mention necessities like a wallet, glasses, tablet, and even a tiny compartment for a tracker just in case the jacket got lost.

"I'm a software developer, I have nothing to do with fashion, but I can see what looks good and what [doesn't]," he told Fashionista.

After testing a variety of materials and methods for hiding hats, gloves, and scarves within the coat, Khan and his team finally landed on the Smart Parka.

So far, there are three designs for men and four jacket designs for women.

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jacket
Kickstarter

North Aware is charging $740 Canadian dollars (or $526 USD) for the Smart Parka, but there was a special early-bird Kickstarter price of $295, or roughly $200 USD. The current lowest Kickstarter price to buy the jacket is $310 Canadian dollars or roughly $219 USD.

According to Khan, the backers will receive their coats by August of this year.

To see the complete line of jackets or buy your own, check out Smart Parka on Kickstarter.

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