Read the entire article- Vanity Fair’s “Official Preppy Reboot”

Excerpt from True Prep-
If, in 1980, you had whispered to friends that within the next few decades America would elect a thin, black, preppy, basketball-playing lawyer to be president, they would have laughed at you and exhaled in your face, inside the restaurant or club where you were sitting. And, if you predicted that one day all our children would have little portable phones stuck in their pockets so that they could not answer us when we called them from our little phones, we would have again exhaled in your face—indoors—and said you were talking science fiction.

The revolution began in 1981, at a company then called Malden Mills in Lawrence, Massachusetts, manufacturers of textiles including the wool for uniforms in World War II. A place like Malden Mills is populated by textile engineers who spitball, “mess around with fabrics,” and then refine, according to spokesman Nate Simmons. They work collaboratively with clothing manufacturers, as they did in this case with Patagonia. What came off the looms in the early 80s was pure synthetic, soft, quick-wicking, quick-drying, and machine-washable. It did not fade, and changed the wardrobes of athletes forever. Its Malden name was Polarfleece; its Patagonia name was Synchilla.

The new book also sites some new “Prep Careers for the New Millennium”, included in which is ‘Ski Bum’, a profession we are proud to associate with, alongside anyone working hard to support days off on rock, in rivers, on the slopes or anywhere else that requires a little less popped collar and a little more, “Where the hell are we?”

Yvon Chouinard product testing

To read the entire interview on ESPN Freeskiing, click here. Read below for excerpts. Story by Devon O’Neil, photos by Aaron Chance-ESPN.

Greg Hill is a skier unto himself, and not just because he once climbed and skied 51,100 vertical feet in 24 hours, or because he will probably notch 270 days on snow this year, or because his short film “The Unbearable Lightness of Skiing” was a Banff finalist a few years back, or because he failed his ski guide exam in 2009 yet still maintains a backcountry profile that is as admired as any in North America.

At the time of our interview on June 25, Hill had summited and skied 44 peaks this year, topping out on 16,644-foot Mt. Steele, the 10th highest in North America. He spoke via a spotty Skype connection in Las Trancas, Chile, where he is skiing volcanoes and hanging out with his wife Tracey, a part-time waitress and full-time mom; daughter Charley, 4; and son Aiden, 3, as he pursues his 2-million-foot objective.

Just this week, we gave an APEX Award to Vaute Couture Inc., a cruelty-free and sustainable design label founded by Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart, for her Vaute Coat, which uses Polartec Wind Pro® fabric. A Chicago-native, Hilgart spent eight months researching fabrics and searching for innovative manufacturers before launching her line. Needless to say, we are honored that she chose us.

Not only did the Voute Couture Vaute Coat show up earlier this year in Teen Vogue, but the El Coat was just spotted on the FOX hit, BONES, worn by the show’s star, Emily Deschanel, while playing a very fashionable forensic scientist.

While she may be studying dead bodies on the clock, Deschanel fortunately spends her free time hunting down eco-deals, and picked the El Coat, alongside Vaute Couture tank tops, as some of her favorite eco-friendly finds in this month’s Marie Claire magazine.

Polartec has never looked better. Thanks Emily and Leanne!

Meet the Designer: Check out the interview video below to meet Leanne Hilgart of Vaute Couture, learn why she started the company and see what exactly this brand new label is all about.

Karina, Karen, Paul and Jordan at Everest Base Camp

This news is a little old by now, but we’re happy to report that Jordan, Paul and Karen are now safely off the mountain and have arrived back in Kathmandu. After a over a month on Everest, they’re thrilled to have hot showers, telephone and internet access. Sticking to his goal of offering inspiration to other kids, Jordan has already scheduled his first school visit.  From Jordan’s Facebook page:

Jordan at age 9 in front of the mural at his school that started it all

“Stop #1- Rato Bangala School-the ‘harvard’ of middle schools here in Kathmandu, Nepal- 400 students get sneak preview at the new presentation by Jordan. 400 autographs. Need new sharpie.”

We’re incredibly happy for Jordan and proud to have supported him for over two years now. We’re also looking forward to being a part of his upcoming climb of Mt Vinson in Antarctica – the final peak in his Seven Summits quest.  As Jordan continues to be swarmed by the mainstream media we’re happily telling people, “we knew him when.”

For Immediate Release

Two-time Polartec Challenge Grant Recipient Jordan Romero, Age 13, Sets Everest Record

05.28.2010 – (Lawrence, Mass.) On Saturday May 22, at the age of 13, two-time Polartec® Challenge Grant recipient Jordan Romero became the youngest person ever to summit Mt. Everest. Later this year, Romero plans to climb Mt. Vinson in Antarctica, thereby successfully completing his quest to conquer the Seven Summits.

Jordan, who is from Big Bear, California, climbed Everest with his father, his father’s girlfriend and three Sherpa guides. The team arrived safely back at base camp on the Chinese side of the mountain today.

Polartec supported Jordan’s Everest climb through its annual Polartec Challenge Grant, which provides financial and product support to expeditions around the world. Jordan and his family were outfitted with a full range of technical Polartec baselayers, insulation and weather protection garments, helping them to stay warm and dry on the Earth’s highest mountain.

“We’re incredibly proud of Jordan and his family and happy to be long-time supporters,“ states Polartec Global Marketing Director Nate Simmons. “As our country faces epidemic levels of childhood obesity and inactivity, role models like Jordan are critically important to both the outdoor industry and the health of our nation.”

Jordan began his quest for the Seven Summits in July 2006, when he successfully climbed 19,340-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. In April 2007, Jordan summitted Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia, in July he climbed Mt. Elbrus in Russia and in December of the same year, he broke the record as the youngest person to summit Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina.

Last year, Jordan, climbed 20,030-foot Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska and tied the record for the youngest person to summit the highest mountain in North America. Finally, in the summer of 2009, Romero climbed the Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia.

Jordan’s sights are now set on Antarctica’s 16,000-foot Vinson Massif.

About Jordan Romero
Jordan Romero is a 13-year-old boy from Big Bear, Calif. with big dreams. Born on July 12, 1996, Jordan hopes to become the youngest person to climb the Seven Summits – the highest peaks on each continent.

Many of you have probably seen the recent media coverage of Jordan Romero as he prepares to climb Mt. Everest later this month. For those of you who don’t know, Jordan is a 13-year-old from Big Bear, California, who has already climbed five of the Seven Summits. He’s also a two-time recipient of the annual Polartec® Challenge Grant.

Two years ago, we received Jordan’s first grant application. At the age of 12, he had already climbed Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Aconcagua in Argentina and Denali in Alaska, arguably the most challenging of the Seven Summits. Because of the high costs of travel and permits, Jordan applied for a Polartec® grant to help fund his climb of Mt. Carstenz in Indonesia. At the time, we reviewed Jordan’s application very carefully — certainly his age was both inspiring and a reason for concern. We had the opportunity to spend time with Jordan and his family at the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City that year and we were impressed by his maturity and sincerity. We awarded him the grant in 2009 and Jordan bagged the peak.

In his attempt to become the youngest person to climb the Seven Summits, Jordan has become a role model and mentor for other children, speaking at schools about climbing, exercise and the outdoors. In a recent Special Report on Youth, The Outdoor Foundation examined youth participation in outdoor recreation — profiling the extent and quality of participation among ages 6 to 24. The report revealed that in recent decades — amidst changing technological and social landscapes — the American childhood has rapidly moved indoors, leading to epidemic levels of childhood obesity and inactivity. Role models like Jordan Romero are critically important to the outdoor industry and the health of our country.

Thus, when Jordan applied for a Polartec® Challenge Grant to help subsidize his climb of Mt. Everest this year, we again carefully considered his application, but soon agreed that Polartec® should continue to support his quest. After spending time with Jordan and his family we believe they will make prudent decisions in the mountains and will put safety above glory. We all know there are inherent risks in mountaineering — the effects of altitude, weather, gear and even dealing with cantankerous yaks on the trails — many variables that are beyond human control. We believe Jordan and his family have done everything they can to train and prepare for this climb and will do everything possible to mitigate risks on the mountain. Jordan has big dreams, which are inspiring others, and we’re proud to be one of his supporters.

(click to enlarge)

For many years the outdoor industry has relied upon the Water Vapor Resistance or RET (Resistance of Evaporation of a Textile) test to measure the “breathability” of water resistant/waterproof fabrics. This test,”compare(s) the ability of different materials to dissipate moisture vapor from the body of the wearer to the outside.” (WSA Jan/Feb2010)

However, in our opinion, the RET test (ASTM F1868 -09) does not accurately evaluative the true breathability of a fabric. In fact, “studies have confirmed that the test is predominantly influenced by the fabric thickness, rather than the pore characteristics of the fabric.” For example, the RET test yields a result that says a three layer hard shell/waterproof fabric is more breathable than a 200 weight fleece. Anyone who has ever worn either of these fabrics knows that’s not true – fleece is almost infinitely breathable (hence the reason Polartec has created other more wind resistant fabrics over the years). In addition, RET tests are affected by clothing weight, drape and tightness. Perhaps most importantly, RET not allow any air movement during the test, so you get some truly bizarre, lab-only results.

Another standard test used by the textile industry to measure breathability is Moisture Vapor Transfer Rate (MVTR). MVTR measures how much moisture vapor can pass through fabric in a 24-hour period and there are over 30 different tests to assess this transfer rate. However, these tests can yield wildly different results (as chronicled in this great post on Patagonia’s blog) and like the RET test, MVTR is static and does not account for real-world conditions where air flow is always present.

As an alternative, Polartec is promoting a better means of evaluating the breathability of water resistant and waterproof fabrics. The Dynamic Moisture Permeation Cell (DMPC) is an ASTM standard test that evaluates a fabric’s ability to move moisture vapor in dynamic conditions. The test can change air pressure and humidity on each side of the fabric and measure how well it truly breathes as conditions change (like the real world). DMPC was developed by Dr. Phillip Gibson, a civilian scientist working with the US Army. Click here to download an interesting story about Dr. Gibson’s testing from the June 2004 issue of Inside Outdoor magazine.

In the chart posted above as you move to the right on the horizontal axis, you can see that Polartec Power Shield Pro (the blue line) breathes more and more as you increase the pressure – this is roughly equivalent to increasing air speed or wind – like going from standing still to walking to a light jog. The harder you work, the harder the fabric works (both convection and diffusion are at work when air is moving). Meanwhile, the orange line represents a full-film softshell fabric – the line is flat meaning breathability does not change. This translates to a damp sweaty user experience as exertion levels increase.

Polartec has always emphasized air permeability. Even tiny, tiny amounts of air flowing through the fabric massively increases a fabric’s ability to move moisture vapor away from your body. Fabrics without airflow require a significant amount of heat and moisture vapor to build up inside the jacket before they start to work. We have all experienced the sweat-box feeling of a fabric that relies only on diffusion to “breathe.”

Fall 2010 a range of jackets will be available in the new ultimate soft shell – Polartec Power Shield Pro. For more on Polartec Power Shield Pro, scroll down to see previous posts on the fabric launch and on Polartec’s partnership with Finetex.

Polartec® Body Climate®

Sealy has announced the launch of its new line of specialty mattresses, Embody™ by Sealy, featuring a brand new Polartec® Body Climate® fabric from the Polartec HOME Collection.

Sealy Embody™ latex foam mattress with Polartec® Body Climate fabric

Exclusive to Sealy, the soft and unique Body Climate® fabric features air channels for breathability and enhanced temperature regulation for ultimate comfort. Embody by Sealy will be available in both Latex and Memory Foam styles. If you love your Polartec clothing by day, now you can enjoy Polartec 24 / 7.

Check out the Furniture World article here.

Company: The North Face Product: Men’s Kishtwar Jacket Hall/Booth: B6.101 Web: www.thenorthface.com

Outdoor sports can become a true challenge if the weather does not cooperate. Ice rain, snow storms, wind gusts not only batter the athletes but also his or her sports apparel. The North Face promises the perfect combination of ventilation and protection against the weather with its “Kishtwar Jacket” – thanks to the new Polartec Power Shield Pro. The materials is 99% wind-proof, the remaining percent circulates in the membrane and supports active moisture wicking. In addition the jacket’s outer material is extremely wear- and water-resistant. Jury Statement: The most prominent feature of the men’s Kishtwar jacket is the use of the new Polartec Power Shield Pro material. This new technology ensures the highest degree of breathability with optimum wind protection for outdoor sports enthusiasts. The product is perfected with a well-though-out design and extremely well finished.

	Company: Patagonia Product: W´s R3 HiLoft Hoody Hall/Booth: A1.315D / B5.110 Web: www.patagonia.com
The fleece jacket  “W´s R3 HiLoft” is one of many eco-friendly products manufactured by the Canadians (ed. note I think they mean Californians not Canadians, close enough, right?) : it is made almost entirely of recycled and recyclable Polartec materials. In addition, the light weight, warm jacket is bluesign certified. This means that the production process was evaluated to determine the use of resources, level of consumer protection, water and air pollution, and working conditions. The jury was not only impressed by the jacket , but also by Patagonia’s long-time continuing, successful overall concept. Jury Statement: For many years Patagonia has been proof that a sustainable overall concept for the entire production chain is feasible. The R3 HiLoft Jacket is no exception and impressed us with its high degree of function, well-though-out design, and excellent solutions for sustainable production.

These awards are a tremendous honor for The North Face, Patagonia and Polartec and an awesome way for us to kick-start the largest outdoor tradeshow of the year.

(P.S. If you want to completely derail your productivity for the day, surf over to the ispo Brand New awards – so many drool-worthy products).