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Inside
Outdoor
|
Summer
2016
26
T
oday’s outdoor retailers know they face
many challenges in making good buying
decisions. The fast pace of technology alone
has made taxing what had been traditionally
simple decisions. Specifically, textile fiber
technology has seen dramatic changes in both synthetic
(e.g. polypropylene, polyesters, etc.) and protein-based
(animal or plant sourced) fibers. Of late, protein-based
fibers have seen an uptick of interest by manufacturers
in non-traditional sources.
One of the reasons why could be the perception
animal or plant-sourced fibers are more environmentally
favorable over synthetics. Hand-in-hand with that notion,
advances in protein-based fiber technology are slowly
incorporating or enhancing characteristics thought
possible only through synthetics. Water-resistant down
is a recent example of how a treatment can partially
overcome one of down’s negative attributes for outdoor
recreationalists.
That said, it is worth taking a look at three trend-
ing fibers and contrast them with merino wool, a well-
established if not de facto mainstay in protein-based
fiber. The matrix below is a quick guide to the individual
properties of these fibers. Although each column is fairly
self-explanatory, the one labeled SuperWash requires
some explanation (see sidebar).
Shedding light on three emerging natural fibers
by
Ernest
Shiwanov
Photo courtesy United By Blue