By Brooke Geery
Mike Arciero, 20, met Terracea Outerwear founder Eric Hui, 36, at a ski event in Hui’s hometown of Seabrook, New Hampshire. Then a teenager, Arciero, who grew up in Chittenden, transitioned the chance meeting into a job, joining Hui to work for his new brand Terracea as sales & operations manager.
Terracea (pronounced teh·ruh·cee·ah) means solutions for earth in Latin, and accordingly, the brand hopes to grow with sustainability in mind.
“The founder wanted to create outerwear that was built for changing earth conditions, to be able to adapt to climate change and all these different weather effects,” Arciero said.
Ironically, Hui is Hawaiian, actually growing up in the tropics, before moving to Boston for college. There he quickly developed a newfound passion for both snow and the cold New England weather. Within a few weeks, he found the need for a jacket that would keep him warm on his way to class, but also be technical enough to brave the elements of the White Mountains. He got to work implementing DIY improvements to his trusty ski jacket, which eventually became the basis of one of the first technical jackets Terracea offered in 2017.
The Terracea line now includes several jacket and pant styles for men and women, with price points starting at $235. Everything they make is super high quality, and designed to take a beating.
“We pride ourselves on being progressive, the gear is very unique,” Arciero said, pointing out the magnet enclosures and two-way zippers on every piece. The puffy coats use Manaloft technology, which is a synthetic down that is more packable than regular goose feathers.
To design the line, Hui partnered with Werx Design based in Fort Collins, Colorado. The garments are then manufactured in Vietnam, at the same factory that makes items for Patagonia and the North Face. And in Killington, the entire line is for sale at the Teton Gravity Research (TGR) Outpost, located at 2841 Killington Rd.
Retail is a relatively new venture for the company that started entirely with online sales, but since Arciero also works as a sales associate at the Teton Gravity Research Outpost, it was an easy place to move to brick and mortar. Arciero is working hard to add more locations, including Elevation Clothing in Woodstock.
For more information, stop by the TGR Outpost or visit terracea.com.
