The British brand was launched in 2016 by Ian Holdcroft and Martin Brooks with the backing of the Hon. Alexandra Shackleton, granddaughter of the Anglo-Irish explorer behind the company’s name.

In 1915, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance became trapped in pack ice in the Antarctic. Aboard the James Caird, the sturdiest lifeboat on the vessel, Shackleton and five of his best crewmen faced the perilous 800-mile voyage from Elephant Island, in the South Shetland Islands, to South Georgia, in the South Atlantic Ocean. This is considered by many to be one of the greatest nautical voyages ever undertaken. The South Georgia boat party endured not only extreme weather and low rations, but enormous waves, including the Cape Horn rollers, which can exceed 18m (60ft) in height. By the time they arrived at South Georgia, only Shackleton and two others were fit enough to attempt to cross the mountain ranges and glaciers of the island, on the other side of which whaling ships were known to berth.

Inside the brand’s new store, you will find a range of garments that protect against such extreme conditions as the last-century explorer and his crew endured. Providing an incredible amount of warmth, for instance, is the Escape Expedition Down Jacket’s 800-fill goose down insulation. The jacket’s ribbed-knit cuffs add further protection against the elements, and it features a detachable hood for wearing in different environments.

What makes the Rothera (A.L.S.) Hooded Down Jacket so versatile, meanwhile, is its pairing of technical features with a structured fit. A packable, mid-weight piece, it could equally be worn around the city as on an arduous polar expedition. It has been designed as an adaptive piece, to be zipped into place as an insulating mid-layer under Shackleton’s Haakon and Vostok Parkas.

The Haakon Tactical Parka is highly comfortable, yet provides protection in extreme environments. Made with 850-fill goose down certified by the RDS (Responsible Down Standard) and monofibre fabric that is laser cut and seam sealed to make it fully waterproof, the parka shields the wearer from wind and all forms of precipitation. Practical features include numerous storage compartments, as well as hand-warming pockets lined with micro fleece, and an adjustable storm snorkel hood that comes with a visor.

Alongside the hardcore stuff, Shackleton also crafts luxurious garments to be worn throughout the year, from down gilets to stylish cashmere sweaters.

What makes this brand really special, though, is that not only does it offer to equip its clientele with expedition-grade garments, it also seeks to inspire them through its Shackleton Challenges. These are expedition experiences the label facilitates at some of the most spectacular, inhospitable places on Earth – from Iceland’s Langjökull glacier to the Antarctic Peninsula. The challenges set missions that vary in difficulty and duration, but all of them put the functionality of the brand’s clothing to the test.

Itineraries and preparation programmes are designed by Shackleton’s in-house team of experts. Compellingly, many of these are missions few in the world have accomplished. Just one example is the South Pole Last Degree Challenge; here, the participants’ mission is to ski the last 60 nautical miles to the South Pole, which entails pulling a 30kg pulk (sledge with no runners) over the sublime expanse of the high polar plateau, camping in the elements and surviving on expedition rations.

The brand is also open to being on the receiving end of challenges. It offers Bespoke Challenges for customers with their own ideas about adventure. But it leads most by example through its ambassadors. The challenges are led by Louis Rudd and Wendy Searle, the company’s director of expeditions and expedition manager, respectively. Both have travelled extensively in polar regions – and even broken records.

This December, Searle is planning to become the fastest woman to ski solo from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole on a 715-mile trek she completed in 2019-2020. The expedition is called She Who Dares and Searle is, of course, going to be supported by Shackleton and its clothing range in her endeavour. Through the expedition she intends to inspire women to pursue any ambitious dreams they may have previously discounted as unlikely or unattainable. Searle is also raising money for the Youth Adventure Trust and Women in Sport, to bring more women into sport and outdoor activities.

Throughout the expedition season, which lasts from November to January, several other inspirational polar explorers will speak at the Covent Garden store at Shackleton Live events, one of which recently featured glaciologist Dr Heïdi Sevestre. While you listen, you can check out some of the most tried-and-tested winter warmers money can buy.

Shackleton is at 18 Russell Street, WC2B 5HP; shackleton.com