Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard and then-seamstress Val Franco reimagine a backpack in Photo: Gary Regester. Racks of colorful, old clothing line sections of an open-office floor plan; decades-old brochures and posters are tacked on walls; handwritten and typewritten papers fill file boxes with ideas and history. Northern California. Photo: Amy Kumler. This warm, durable layer served as the preferred choice of insulation, but it became heavy when wet, was slow to dry and difficult to clean.
So he started looking around for a miracle fabric—a synthetic solution with the same warmth and strength of wool fibers, but lighter and with faster drying properties. Inspired by this find, Malinda Chouinard went to the fashion district in Los Angeles on a hunt for a roll of similar fabric. What she returned with was made of polyester and intended for toilet seat covers, but she saw the potential for a sweater.
The bolt sat dormant, along with other samples that had been collected, until one day Yvon rediscovered it and took it to the sewing room.
Standing over the shoulder of Val Franco—then seamstress and now manager of The Archives, plus keeper of Patagonia history—Yvon shared the design in his head for what would become the very first prototype of a fleece sweater.
But it seemed capable of being everything wool could be, and more. It weighed far less, held less than 1 percent of its weight in water, was machine washable and dried quickly, both on the line and in the field. Soon after, the world fell in love with fleece. Before long, there were bolts of fleece in every fabric store, and every outdoor brand started making things out of this beloved new fabric. It provided all the benefits of wool, was easy to wash and could be layered over or under virtually anything.
But sometimes in life, when you seek to solve problems, you inadvertently create new ones. We took a hard look at the impact of petroleum-based fibers, including polyester, which at that point made up most of our line. Then we worked with our mill partners to find a source for recycled polyester and in became the first outdoor clothing manufacturer to transform trash into fleece. At the time, the technology was limited, so our first recycled polyester fleece was the color of the bottles it was made from: soda-bottle green.
To continue to find ways to reduce the footprint of these materials, our next step was to incorporate natural fibers—including returning all the way back to our favorite material for warmth and durability: wool. More specifically, recycled wool. It also helped divert quite a lot of clothing from landfills.
It sounds silly and deeply uncomfortable to a modern audience, but wool was the de facto performance textile of its day. The vertical integration in their factories allowed them to dye, print, and finish in-house. This gave them greater power to innovate and advance their products. Their expertise had been called upon by the U. Army, being contracted to outfit soldiers in wool knits during both World Wars.
Post-war stability and a boom in synthetics made Malden want in on the action. DuPont had created nylon in the s, spandex was currently in development, and Feuerstein sensed that the market was about to profoundly change. In , the company opened a knitting factory in Maine, which bucked the national trend of moving manufacturing jobs south and west, where real estate was cheaper.
Aaron chose to prioritize proximity to Boston, where he would have access to a more experienced and scientifically-inclined work-force. With a new generation of fur activists, Aaron assumed that people would need an ethical alternative to the mink coats that had been so popular in the s and 40s. Malden dominated the faux fur market, but the demand turned out to be far less than he anticipated.
Bankruptcy loomed, employees were laid off en masse, but then salvation came. The breakthrough came in and was almost immediately snatched up by Patagonia, who used the warm, light fabric in their iconic Snap-T fleece pullovers. It was a natural choice for outdoors brands and by , Malden was out of the dire straits.
Does cotton fleece shrink? The result of the shrinkage can sometimes be minimal, but it could result in a poor fit if your cotton fleece item is either clothing or any kind of home furnishing.
Because of the lanolin that coats the wool fibers, wool exhibits water-repellency and is able to remain dry for a considerable time. Even after getting wet, it still manages to provide some insulation, albeit not at the rate it would if dry. Micro fleece, coral fleece, or Sherpa fleece are usually considered the softest types of fleece.
You will find these fabrics used to make blankets, jackets, socks, towels, hats, scarves, and rugs. Soft fleece fabrics like these are also great for your pets. Look for beds or blankets made from micro fleece or Sherpa.
It is used for warm clothing and is a cheaper alternative to natural wool. Because it does not fray and has minimal stretch, it is easy to sew.
While fleece is thick it is lighter than wool and thus is comfortable to wear. Heavyweight fleece is the least flexible of fleeces, but also the warmest and most insulating. This durable membrane is capable of resilient stretch for greater range of motion during activity, even in inclement conditions. Soak wool in cold water, and then gently rub out anywhere that needs extra cleaning.
You can wash it in the washing machine, but use cold water, and air dry it. A weight fleece is significantly loftier and heavier, more difficult to layer, and generally designed with cold or extreme weather conditions in mind.
BPA is a chemical used in the production of plastics and many other products. BPA has been linked to a variety of health problems such as reproductive disorders, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Since fleece is made from plastic components, the question of BPA in our fleece garments becomes a valid concern. In general, wool provides better insulation from the wind, unless you wear a fleece with integrated wind-resistant insulation. Fleece and wool are warmer, more water-resistant, warmer when wet and wick perspiration better than cotton.
Fleece is a soft, fuzzy fabric made to keep you warm! While some fleece today is made with polyester, fleece made from natural fibers, especially cotton, are better for the environment. Cotton fleece is also breathable while keeping you warm. Light Weight Fleece blankets are the best blankets for summer.
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