Purple Mountain Observatory is an East London outdoor label founded by Matt Braun, making shell jackets, Polartec fleeces and hiking trousers alongside waffle tees and graphic prints. Everything is cut unisex and designed to work
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Purple Mountain Observatory is an East London outdoor label founded by Matt Braun, making shell jackets, Polartec fleeces and hiking trousers alongside waffle tees and graphic prints. Everything is cut unisex and designed to work on a hill and on a bus, which is the whole point of it — the brand grew out of lockdown walking rather than out of a mountain town.
Read our Purple Mountain Observatory feature.
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About Purple Mountain Observatory clothing
PMO was started by Matt Braun during the pandemic, when getting outside became the thing people did instead of everything else. It is based in East London, which the founder treats as the point rather than an inconvenience — most outdoor brands come from mountain towns, and this one comes from a city where people still want to get to the hills at weekends. It began with group hikes and small activations before it was much of a clothing label at all.
Everything is cut unisex, with room for layering and movement rather than sized separately by gender. The team is small — five people, with production run by someone who owns the factory — which is why the range experiments more than most, including thermochromatic fabrics that change colour with temperature.
Purple Mountain Observatory jackets and fleece
The Ridge jacket is the one to look at first, including the glow-in-the-dark ecru version, alongside the Climate jackets in lightweight and hooded forms, the waxed Cygnus, the Stinger and the Breeze Ombre. For insulation the range runs from the Micro Fleece and Solo Fleck Fleece through the Borg Sherpa to the Shield Puffer and the Procyon and quilted vests.
Several mid-layers use Polartec, which is worth knowing because it is the difference between a fleece that traps warmth and one that also moves moisture out while you are moving.
Purple Mountain Observatory trousers, shorts and tees
The trousers are the strongest part of the range in search terms. The Blocked Terrain and Terrain pants are the ones people look for by name, with the Cotton Alpine and Loose Alpine as the roomier options and the Blocked Hiking pant the most walking-oriented. Trek, Waffle and Atlas shorts cover the summer end.
On top, the Waffle crews and long sleeves are the heavier textured option and the Globe, Orbital, Ascend and Map Projections tees carry the graphics. The Waffle Balaclava Hoody is the outlier and one of the better-known pieces — a hood that extends to cover the face, which is either the reason you want it or the reason you don't.
Browse all clothing at Yards Store, read our Purple Mountain Observatory feature, or see what we have in our Manchester and Sheffield shops.
