Pro Climber Allison Vest Redefines Gear by Sewing Her Own Climbing Pants
Canadian professional climber Allison Vest is known for her prowess on the wall, but her creativity doesn’t stop there. When she isn’t solving tricky boulder problems, she’s stitching, designing, and refining her own climbing clothes at home.
As Climbing magazine reported, Vest thinks climbing pants can do better, so she makes her own. Her sewing habit isn’t just a hobby. It draws on the same problem-solving mindset she brings to hard boulders.
Vest learned to sew as a teenager, when her grandmother taught her how to use a sewing machine. “I tend to have a little bit of an obsessive personality about projects,” she said. “It’s nice to have something else to obsess over when I sew, so I can stop thinking about climbing.”
Photo Cred: Allison Vest
That focus shows in her process. Vest has spent months on a single pair of pants, and she put about 100 hours into hand block-printing another pair. “There’s a process, you have to go through the process, and you have to find enjoyment in the little bits and pieces,” she said.
Many of her pieces start as thrifted or upcycled material. One standout is a bolero set made from old North Face hoodies, reflecting her interest in giving existing clothes a second life.
Vest’s passion for sewing is tied to how she moves on the wall. Rather than copying typical climbing apparel, she draws inspiration from the way dancers dress, looking for clothes that allow full range of motion and still look sharp.
Fit is a big part of it. She likes a relaxed, roomy cut, but with shape at the waist and hips. “I don’t want it to be so baggy that there’s no shape to it,” she said. Making her own clothes lets her get that fit, though she admits, “No sizing is ever going to be perfect.”
Photo Cred: Allison Vest
For climbers curious about sewing, Vest suggests starting with a project that excites you, using free resources like YouTube tutorials, and letting go of perfection. “Starting out, you have to let go of trying to make everything perfect,” she said. “Things that are handmade are handmade.”
That acceptance of imperfection is part of the appeal. Like projecting a boulder, sewing rewards patience, trial and error, and small steps forward.
Photo Cred: Allison Vest
As a climber and maker, Vest finds creativity in more than one place. Whether she’s pushing herself on a new boulder or finishing her latest pair of pants, the approach is similar: commit to the process and accept that some attempts won’t work. “It’s really fun,” she said. “I hope more people will do it.”
Her story is a reminder that climbers can think outside the box, both on the wall and off it.
