I mostly wear very feminine clothes, but many years ago I was a huge tomboy. Recently, my husband and I watched the entire first season of Netflix’s Jessica Jones, and I absolutely loved the show and the main character. In fact, I got so inspired by it that I started to wear more funky, cool casual wear again.

In an effort to expand my wardrobe, I began a search for new options. Enter Bench Canada, which has been on my radar for a very long time.

Bench was born in the U.K. in the late 80s, and was originally a niche T-shirt brand. It has grown and expanded internationally over the years, and now focuses on streetwear and active-inspired clothing. Its multi-purpose element means that I can wear the same sweater dress to the office, a coffee shop or a dinner with my friends, and still have the clothing equally fitting for each scenario.

I’ve been to many of Bench’s media events over the last couple of years. They recently asked if I would be interested to check out their fall/winter 2015 line, so the timing was perfect and I headed to the store in search of something funky. I don’t normally wear hoodies but when I saw the Emerging Zip Thru Hoodie, I knew it will become one of my favourite items for walks around the city and afternoon coffees with my friends.

Bench’s hoodies have a variety of features: anatomically constructed hood shapes engineered for enhanced peripheral vision, displaced seams for enhanced comfort, reflective trims for improved visibility, thumb holes for added comfort and protection, device pockets to keep possessions secure and underarm eyelets to expel excess heat and aide temperature control. Sounds perfect for someone like me, who is always on the go.

I like that the hoodie is black, tight-fitting and has thumb holes to keep my hands warm in colder weather (it’s also available in a SeedPearl colour). I hardly ever wear hats or gloves (personal pet peeve), so the hoodie replaced both quite well. Not to mention, we’ve had quite a nice winter this far, so I’ve paired the hoodie with long T-shirts, high-heeled boots and jeans, and wore it outside on many occasions without a jacket.

By the way, today I learned that Bench filmed and photographed its upcoming spring/summer 2016 collection in Barcelona—the city I grew up in and one of the stops on my recent honeymoon! Needless to say, I can’t wait to check out the upcoming collection.

And I leave you with the video that was just released four days ago. Summer is sooner than we think.