Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/925208
marketing department describes it as "a 100 percent polyester-based product that consists of countless micro gaps that move and adapt to your body." "Freedom cannot compare directly with current technologies, as its key feature is its elongation, up to 38 percent," she continues. "Thermore Freedom is an extremely versatile product which is available in a thin profile configuration to best fit the current trends in design." Devotees of down have thinner options as well, thanks to an Italian company called Thindown. William Calvert, the company's chief creative officer, refers to the product as, "the world's first and only down fabric—real down, reimagined." The proprietary manufacturing process starts with RDS or traceable down clusters which are opened and locked into a uniform fabric that is cut-able, washable, and can be sewn into any garment or accessory. "Imagine a Thindown hoodie. Incredibly warm…shockingly thin," describes Calvert. CLO tests performed by the International Down and Feather Laboratory indicate that Thindown is up to 400 percent warmer than a polyester fill and up to 200 percent warmer than traditional down, depending on weights and qualities. Eddie Bauer's EverTherm Down Jacket line is the first launch of the Thindown technology in the US. "Their jacket is amazing," says Calvert. "It is powered by Thindown, it is millimeters thin, weighs just over 9oz., and is rated for activity in temperatures as low as -15˚F." A Smart Choice The future of apparel insulation may belong to emerging smart technologies such as graphene, a micro-thin layer of carbon atoms bonded together in a hexagonal lattice that can be applied to tex- tiles to create thermal regulation and other desirable qualities. Directa Plus, producer and supplier of G+ pristine graphene nanoplatelets, is developing thermal-regulating textiles through the lamination of membranes containing Graphene Plus or by printing insulation fiber with Graphene Plus. The G+ technology has been commercialized in skiwear and other apparel by Colmar. Directa Plus is also collaborating with Eurojersey to produce a line of Sensitive warp knit fabrics enhanced with G+; and has received a contract from Alfredo Grassi to jointly develop an initial range of technical textiles and workwear garments featuring G+. "For a long time, we have been excited by the potential of graphene to transform the smart textiles market, particularly its capacity to harness the heat generated naturally by the human body. The inclusion of graphene creates a thermal circuit that is placed in contact with the body, dispersing the heat in warm temperatures and preserving it and distributing it evenly from 'hot spots' in cold temperatures," comments Giulio Cesareo, CEO of Directa Plus. As insulation technologies continue to evolve, becoming thinner and more adaptive, could the "puffy" become a thing of the past? O textileinsight.com January/February 2018 ~ Textile Insight • 21 Thermore Freedom stretch insulation is designed for comfort during active outdoor adventures.