This story speaks to a very specific type of rider. You know that guy. Architect. Owns a vintage Defender. Rides a Husky 701. Drinks coffee that costs more than a valve adjustment on a small scooter. Somehow returning from a dusty off-road trip looking as if it had been styled by a Scandinavian furniture catalogue.
Still, that’s more or less the universe Aether Apparel Lives in the U.S., and now the L.A. brand has taken that perfect hipster aesthetic to the other side of the planet. (Editor’s note: Wow, wow, wow, I have an Aether jacket that I love, and I’m definitely not a hipster. Wait…am I? JK)
Ather recently brought a small invited group of riders and friends of the brand to the Orkhon Valley in Mongolia for a six-day off-road trip. The crew included actor and totally legit motorcycle guy Norman Reedus, Brian Greenberg, Justin Chatwin, David “Shady” Perez, Alex Earl of Earl Motors and others. The route threw them into the good stuff: open stairs, river crossings, deep sand, rough paths, and the kind of landscape that makes your phone camera panic because every direction looks like a movie poster.
Photo by: Aether Apparel
guided tour nomad off-roadMongolia-based motorcycle adventure outfitter and official Husqvarna partner. That part matters because this wasn’t just a bunch of beautiful people standing around ADV bikes for a lookbook shoot. The terrain was real, the ride was real, and the setting gave Ather exactly what it needed: a dramatic place to show off its latest motorcycle gear without looking like a trade show booth with better lighting.
The gear in question is Ather’s new Mojave Motorcycle Jacket 2.0 and Mojave Motorcycle Pant 2.0. On paper, these pieces sit in an interesting place. They’re not trying to beat KLIM KLIM, and they’re not trying to beat Dainese Dainese. Instead, Ather is playing the premium adventure-lifestyle card, including actual protection in clothing that doesn’t make you look like you’re about to attack a weather station.
That’s the main difference here. The KLIM is hardcore ADV equipment for riders who want Gore-Tex, high-specification abrasion resistance, spacious ventilation, and the kind of apparel engineering that makes sense when your riding plans include inclement weather, bad roads, and questionable decisions. Meanwhile, Hellstons stays closer to the world of retro-urban riding with a more stylish, sophisticated attitude. Ether is somewhere in between. Still ready for all types of weather and adventure, but with polish and beauty that makes you look twice as good.
So this is not fake gear. Not even a bit.
Mojave Jacket 2.0 (which you can buy For around $600 USD) Utilizes heavy-duty cotton canvas, mesh lining, vents, reflective details and removable D3O armor at the elbows, shoulders and back. matching pants (for about $475 USD) use the same general idea with D3O armor on the knees and hips, plus vents and ride-focused articulation. So yes, it’s stylish. Very stylish. Painfully stylish, depending on how allergic you are to expensive minimalism. But it’s not just fashion cosplay with zippers and motorcycle photo shoots.
That’s what makes this Mongolia trip a smart start. Ather didn’t just put the Mojave set on a model in a studio and call it adventure-ready. It sent gear across sand, water, dirt, heat, long days and real riders. Then it wrapped the whole thing in the kind of brand storytelling that makes you leave your inbox, develop a better jacket collection, and daydream about a ride in some desolate corner of the world.
