These cleverly designed women's work pants use your own body heat to smooth wrinkles – and they're worth the $145
When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.
Ministry of Supply
- Ministry of Supply's Skinny Kinetic Pants ($145) fix their own wrinkles by redirecting your body heat, and they stretch without losing shape.
- I tested them out, and they hold up to their promises: wrinkle-free and flexible with a slimming silhouette. In terms of fit, I could have sized down, but most reviewers found them true to size.
- Ministry of Supply has also produced similarly modernized versions of the button-down (the Apollo 3) and suit (the Kinetic suit), the latter of which is so comfortable two people have run marathons in it.
If you've ever woken up to discover that somehow each and every piece of your closet has become wrinkled overnight before a 9 a.m. meeting, you're going to like the sound of Ministry of Supply's new Kinetic pants.
Like everything the performance workwear company designs, the Kinetic line is smarter than your average piece of clothing. Made from resilient Japanese wrap-knit Kinetic fabric, they stretch without losing shape. Due to an inventive eight-panel design, a stretch waistband and ergonomic side seams, the pants are easy and comfortable to move in. They're moisture wicking and water repellent thanks to a hydrophilic interior (which pulls moisture away from the body), and a hydrophobic exterior (which helps to evaporate moisture). They're also machine-washable. But the real standout feature may be their built-in fail-safe against wrinkles: rather than requiring a hot iron or harmful chemicals, Ministry of Supply's Kinetic pants redirect your own body heat to release and relax wrinkles, so they're gone within 15 minutes.
The result is a pair of $145 sleek work pants that stretch without losing shape, virtually never wrinkle, and repel potential nightmares like spilled coffee.
Ministry of Supply
If these elegant-looking pants sound more like a science experiment to you than a workwear purchase, you wouldn't be entirely incorrect; the company was born at MIT and has since enlisted both MIT scientists and NASA to re-imagine closet staples such as the button-up, later creating suits (the Kinetic suit specifically) so comfortable that two people have now run marathons in them as publicity stunts. The primary directive of Ministry of Supply is elegance made radically comfortable.
I had a chance to test-drive the Kinetic Pants in the Skinny silhouette to see if they could stand up to their claims. In the past, the Insider Picks team has been impressed by Ministry of Supply's cult-favorite men's dress shirt, wrinkle-free suit, their Kinetic dress, and pretty much every other piece we've judged. They also make one of my all-time favorite button-downs.
In person, the Kinetic Pants stand up to their claims. Even when crammed in my purse for most of the day, their wrinkles released almost immediately after sliding them on. The material was breathable during the day – including my 20-minute walk to and from the subway station – and didn't lose its shape. They were moisture-wicking, and water droplets pooled and slid off the exterior. For someone who prioritizes comfort and convenience almost as strongly as the overall look, machine-washability is also a huge plus.
Ministry of Supply
My only complaint is that, while most reviewers found the pair to fit true to size, I probably could have sized down for a better fit, especially given the stretch waistband. (For reference, I typically wear either a 26 or 27, and I opted for a size 4 in the Kinetics.) However, even though I could have gotten a smaller size, the fit itself was still tapered and slimming.
Some reviewers mentioned a "swish" sound when their legs touched throughout the day, and while this wasn't frequent enough to bother me, it may be good to note if you're sensitive about that semi-technical fabric sound. If that's the case, check out MM. Lafleur's Foster Pants, which we also loved.
All in all, Ministry of Supply's latest workwear staple is a good option for anyone looking for a flattering, low-maintenance pair of work pants that work smarter rather than harder. They'll stretch with you, wick away moisture, survive a quick coffee spill without missing a beat, and will even use your own body heat to make sure you're never wrinkled in a morning meeting again. If that's worth $145 to you, they're worth considering.