TO THE TOP: Patagonia’s latest outdoorsy collection, titled Heyes Peak, provides warm but transitional insulation via Thermore’s EVOdown.
The stuffing, first introduced more than a decade ago, is produced from recycled PET and it’s certified by the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Global Recycled Standard and Bluesign. It boasts two encapsulating layers in order to stabilize the free fibers in the middle, making it a “rolled free-fiber composite.”
“The best materials are those that help us meet our customers’ needs while reducing our environmental impact,” said Mark Little, senior business unit director, lifestyle essentials and graphics at Patagonia.
“Thermore’s EVOdown gave us the opportunity to deliver reliable warmth, softness and durability in the Heyes Peak collection, incorporating the highest-quality materials throughout the system. This is the kind of innovation we’re excited to bring to market,” he offered.
The Heyes Peak collection comprises five styles for men and women including a jacket, parka, hooded jacket and three-in-one parka, some featuring scalloped quilting. They are intended for versatility and layering.
The outerwear pieces — all Fair Trade Certified — are crafted from the ripstop NetPlus, a post-consumer recycled fabric coming from fishing nets, treated with a Durable Water Repellent agent with no added PFAS. The padded pieces feature the lightest version of EVOdown, weighing 80 grams.
The padding is generally offered in three weights to suit a range of designs from ultra-light jackets to high puff parkas.
“We’re excited to partner with Patagonia on the Heyes Peak collection. This launch perfectly reflects Thermore’s goal of demonstrating that high-performance materials and genuine environmental responsibility are not mutually exclusive,” said Laura Beachy, senior vice president of global marketing and communications at Thermore.
“Patagonia is a brand that holds itself and its supply chain to high standards of environmental responsibility, so being selected as the thermal insulation partner…reinforces Thermore’s position as a leader in the field,” echoed Joe DiGirolamo, Thermore’s director of sales.
Since Yvon Chouinard created the outdoors brand Patagonia in 1973, a big part of its ethos has been to build a business that is functional, successful and also sustainable.
A year earlier, Thermore was established in Milan as a premium thermal insulation company for apparel and outerwear. The company says its paddings provide the same soft touch and luxurious look, lightweight and silky feel of down stuffing. In the 1980s, Thermore introduced its first recycled insulation material made of recycled PET bottles, which evolved into a fully recycled fiber-based padding in 2011 before the introduction in 2019 of the signature Ecodown product, including 10 PET bottles per outerwear piece.