Available to consumers next Fall 2012 for $299, the Polar Hooded Jacket is a sleek, hybrid, body-mapped soft shell made of two new Polartec fabrics. This design maps key hot/cold zones and optimizes fabric placement for function and comfort, providing increased warmth and breathability where needed most.

The body is made of a new version of Polartec® Power Shield® soft shell fabric with a high loft fleece interior that’s both 25% warmer and 25% lighter thanks to a revolutionary new lamination technique. A new version of Polartec® Thermal Pro® is used in the sides, underarms and hood to insulate without inhibiting breathability and moisture vapor transport. Unlike down or classic synthetic fill insulation, Polartec® Thermal Pro® fibers won’t migrate, so The North Face was able to use an open mesh knit fabric on the inside to eliminate the vapor barrier phenomenon of most puffies.

The Polar Hooded Jacket combines the warmth of a puffy with the moisture-wicking properties of fleece and the protection of a soft shell to let climbers eliminate layers and give them freedom of movement. We’re not aware of a warmer, lighter, more compressible soft shell.

The New York Times magazine recently published an article, “The Evolution of Fleece, From Scratchy to Snuggie”, which takes a historical look at the product category Polartec invented.

Polartec fleece products are now more lightweight, warm, functional, versatile and durable than ever. And we keep working to make them better.

The Evolution of Fleece, From Scratchy to Snuggie

By HILARY GREENBAUM and DANA RUBINSTEIN

Published: November 25, 2011

Even in the heyday of the polyester age — during the height of John Travolta and white bodysuits — when people wanted to stay warm, they still wore wool. And that venerable material had its downsides. It was notoriously itchy. When it got wet, it stank. And moths liked to eat it.

By the late 1970s, however, Malden Mills, a Massachusetts textile maker that specialized in baby bunting, began experimenting with polyester’s outdoorsy potential. Under the direction of the mill’s owner, Aaron Feuerstein, a team of engineers wound superfine polyester yarn into a dense fabric resembling terry cloth, only lighter. After its fibers were brushed, the fabric’s volume greatly increased; they also provided insulation and could wick water away.

In 1981, through an unusual collaboration with Yvon Chouinard, owner of a little-known mountaineering outfitter called Patagonia, Feuerstein introduced his invention to the burgeoning sportswear market. “We had the finest technical group, engineering group and research group in the textile industry,” recalls the father of fleece. “We built performance into the fabric. We were so proud of what we did.”

“GAP HAD IT TO THE MAX”

The first-generation fleece, called Synchilla (as in synthetic chinchilla), was used in Patagonia’s seminal Snap-T pullover (1985), which was subsequently made famous by family ski trips across the Northeast. “For many, many years,” says Rob Bondurant, vice president of marketing at Patagonia, “Synchilla was the Kleenex of fleece, if you will.”

Within a decade, however, fleece had become an inescapable element of daily life. And just as the fabric’s lightness appealed to sportsmen, its colorfulness, lack of fur and relative inexpensiveness made it, in a word, trendy. Scott Schulman, who runs The Sartorialist, a popular style blog, is reminded of the transformation that jersey went through after Chanel used it in her early collections. Before that, he says, jersey “was thought of as underwear fabric.”

Eventually, Lands’ End, L.L. Bean and others incorporated fleece in everything. “In the late ’90s, Gap had it to the max,” explains Ingrid Johnson, a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. According to Nate Simmons, director of marketing at Polartec, the successor company to Malden Mills, “It completely changed the way the world dresses for cold weather.”

COMING IN FROM THE COLD

Ever since its early days, fleece has been continuously improved. The yarn — now about as fine as cashmere — was honed to prevent the fabric from pilling and wind from blowing through. As a result, the unmistakable fuzzy material is unusually lightweight and warm — an unreasonable expectation only a synthetic could fulfill. In 1993, Patagonia and Polartec began exploring how to make fleece from recycled content. The first iterations, however, were fraught with issues; they were also scratchy. By 2006, though, they were able to make recycled fabrics at costs comparable to the original.

Beyond embracing environmental issues, fleece’s greatest impact has probably been on the eco-chic fashion industry that blossomed around it. No longer does a man, come winter, have to hide his svelte figure beneath dowdy layers of down and wool. And no longer does he have to wear it outdoors. Lands’ End, for instance, uses fleece for monogrammable dog jackets with reflective trim, beanbag covers and Christmas stockings. Of course, for $10 anyone can enjoy the Snuggie, a fleece blanket cum smock that no mountain climber ever could have imagined.

Did you know Polartec is a major supplier to the US Military? Well, out of the company’s Lawrence, MA headquarters, Polartec has worked with the US Military for over a decade – developing new fabric technologies that protect our troops. No melt, no drip fleece that protects soldiers from skin burns during IED explosions? That was us, and we couldn’t drive this innovation without all the dedicated people who work with us everyday.

Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown recently toured Polartec’s headquarters in Lawrence, MA, where he met with executives and some of the several hundred employees that work there. The Senator even held a short Q&A with employees.

Polartec President Andy Vecchione shows Senator Brown a garment made from Polartec® Power Dry® FR, a flame resistant, highly breathable and quick drying fabric designed for high speed tactical operations.

Senator Brown can't get over how soft the fleece feels.

Thanks to all our Fans for participating and more importantly, thanks to all of the incredible employees and volunteers who work at the vitally important shelters across the country!

Okay, they’re not all naked now, but they could be, without some help. Through a donation of Polartec® Classic Micro® fabric, Polartec is helping Montane raise money for Mountain Rescue, the national coordinating body for volunteer search and rescue teams in England and Wales. Mountain Rescue relies upon donations for 100% of their funding, so Montane has produced the special edition Polartec® Chukchi Shirt made from Polartec® Classic Micro® fleece, available for purchase at the Outdoors Show March 26-28 in Birmingham NEC or on montane.co.uk for £35. Montane will donate over half of the proceeds to help fund Mountain Rescue efforts. This is your chance to aquire a limited edition Spring garment and support a great cause at the same time.

For a chance to win, all you have to do is add a comment to this post. Next week, we’ll pick a random winner from all the comments.

Disclaimer: the sample size is men’s medium, the color is dark shadow, and the production version that is released in the Fall may be slightly different than this sample.

We’re going to be giving away more stuff here on a regular basis, so be sure to keep checking justazipper.com.