Winter 2020 - Inside Outdoor Magazine

Inside Outdoor | WINTER 2020 14 When Patagonia’s revamped Tor- rentshell 3L line of waterproof/ breathable jackets debuts at retail in Spring 2020, the industry will see not just a new benchmark in durable rain protection but also the resumption of a long-stand- ing partnership between Toray and Patagonia. Throughout the 1990s, Patagonia was one of the largest volume customers for Toray’s waterproof/ breathable Entrant tech- nology, marketed and sold by Patagonia under its H2No Performance Standard. Market demand for lighter weight, 2.5-layer fabrics led to a decline in the Entrant/Patagonia business in the early 2000s, said the companies, although Toray continued to supply fabric for innovative new products such as Patagonia’s Nano- Air, establishing “active insulation” as a product category in the industry. The 2020 Torrentshell 3L line re- turns to its comfortable and durable three-layer roots with a new hydropho- bic membrane, custom-designed for Patagonia by Toray to be more durably long-lasting than most rainwear mem- branes on the market. The new fabric has 100 percent recycled face fabric – derived from both post-industrial and post-consumer sources – and accord- ing to Patagonia’s own testing, is more durably waterproof than its predeces- sor. In keeping with another Patagonia priority, the new Torrentshell line is Fair Trade Certified sewn. “Never Gets Old” is Patagonia’s tag line for the new generation of Torrentshell, which ad- dresses the sustainability issue on two fronts: by using 100 percent recycled face fabrics and by a design commit- ment from both Toray and Patagonia to build durable rainwear that can last customers a lifetime or longer. Somewhat ironically, the market forces that brought Toray and Pa- tagonia back together in 2020 were driven by Patagonia itself. For starters, the industry, led by Patagonia, has been pushing hard for greater use of sustainable and recycled fabrics. While recycled fabrics offer the same end-user performance, they are more difficult to weave. Toray was one of the few manufacturers that could manage it, said Patagonia. All the while, Patago- nia’s customers have come to expect a more durable and long-lasting membrane to extend the life and perfor- mance of its rainwear, especially given Patagonia’s reputation for high-quality, lasting products backed by an ironclad guarantee. “Toray and Patagonia have worked together on many successful projects over the years,” said Kristo Torgersen, Patagonia’s global product director, “and the new Torrentshell 3L program is another benchmark of how aligning our partnership and focus on innovations that reduce our environmental footprint while improving performance can grow our brands and businesses together.” The new Torrentshell 3L is the first of several Patagonia product initiatives to be designed and built with custom Toray fabrics. Toray, Patagonia Reunite on Torrentshell 3L Line Ingredients Insulation as Art Thermore believes it utilizes the most advanced free fiber technol- ogy on the market to produce its high fill power, durable and recycled Ecodown insulation. “We realized there was very little to improve, tech- nically,” said a Thermore spokesperson, so the company turned to one place it could make a difference: the way insulation looks. And since today’s fabric technology now allows fabrics to be thin and light enough to see through and still be durable, “We felt the apparel world was ready for the next chal- lenge: using insulation to give garments unique visual interest,” announced Thermore. Enter Ecodown Fibers Marble. Every piece of Ecodown Fibers Marble is unique, meaning no two jackets or garments will look the same. “Humans need to feel unique, and clothing is a way to express our personality through our appearance. We all want to be dif- ferent,” said Thermore. Thermore also is introducing the new Ecodown Fibers Black product, which it said provides a 3D color effect when used with light colored fabrics and changes the hue of fab- ric used, thus creating more possi- bilities for colors.