b-s

THE PRIMALOFT “B-S” DISCUSSION!!!!

Just in case you are not familiar with the meaning of my reference of B-S it means BULL SHIT!!! The primaloft fiberfill product has been offered and promoted originally by Albany International since about 1987 and eventually by the new company called primaloft. Unfortunately for the money spending consumers the primaloft product is NOT, IS NOT an acceptable form of insulation. It did not work at its inception in the mid 1980’s and NOTHING HAS CHANGED; IT STILL DOES NOT WORK.

However this company chooses not to accept their failure and is continuing to promote this failed product to manufacturers who in turn want the manufacturers to promote it as a component in cold weather outerwear garments.

This latest gambit is farcical and very misleading of the general publics’ understanding of how insulation works.

PrimaLoft innovation takes inspiration from animal fur.

I attempted to research where they got the inspiration from animal fur on the primaloft web site and no luck. Animal fur while a part of the living animal has a purpose but when the animal is dead the fur no longer has purpose, unless it is mink and made into a $20,000.00 coat. Dead animals do not inspire!!!

High-performance insulation materials provider PrimaLoft has unveiled a new textile platform that it says “combines the thermal advantages of insulation with the versatility of fabric”. It has called this platform PrimaLoft NEXT.

More than 60 years ago when I entered into the textile business there were many companies that offered fabric that were smooth on one side and bulky on the opposite side. The process by which this was accomplished was brushing one surface that bulked up the fabric.Its purpose was to create an insulating layer. In all of these years the concept did not have any merit; in other words it did not work. It does not work now nor will it work tomorrow, but primaloft is going to provide this product to so far one European manufacturing company referencing non-performing thermal advantages over real insulation such as Lamilite.

The aim of this new project is to provide garment designers with the freedom to obtain both warmth and breathability without unnecessary bulk. The company has said it will also offer greater flexibility in terms of fabric pairings and “unique colour opportunities”. As well as being suitable for pairing with shell and liner fabrics, this platform also offers next-to-skin and stand-alone applications, according to PrimaLoft.

This material will NOT provide garment designers with warmth and breathability without necessary bulk. My assessment of garment designer’s in today’s garment manufacturing business has no knowledge of insulation. I know this to be fact because if they did they would not be interested in materials that do not work such as primaloft.

“PrimaLoft NEXT was created to meet the demands of designers and consumers striving for individuality within a sea of sameness,” said Mike Joyce, president and CEO of PrimaLoft. “It is a hybrid solution that leverages the benefits of insulation with the flexibility of fabric, inviting experimentation by designers seeking to break away from the standard look of insulated apparel.”

This guy Joyce has created a premise that does not exist and proposes to address the premise with a response that accomplishes nothing. The “hybrid solution” solves nothing. It hasn’t for 60 years so why now?

The first collection developed as part of this platform is the Evolve Series, which has been designed to mimic the properties of animal fur. Products in this collection are constructed with fibres of different length and thickness to create natural highs and lows in the material. This produces open structures that maximise airflow during motion and trap air better when at rest. PrimaLoft has said this results in a thermoregulation system akin to multiple layers, but without the need for layering.

The reason that Lamilite insulation is so efficient has to do with the fact that it is made “uniform” and eliminates the natural highs and lows that actually happen when a furry creature is killed. The fur can no longer become uniform. The following comments are akin to stupidity. There is no “thermoregulation” that takes place. You would actually benefit from multiple layers versus not needing them.

German outdoor brand Schöffel is an early adopter of this innovation and will release products that incorporate it from summer 2020.

Schollel is a sportswear company making items like T-shirts and general outerwear. Maybe they are having poor sales in Europe where they are located so they are jumping on board with anything that will help them sell product. Note that they are stating that the product line will be available for the summer of 2020. That is good since the stuff will not work for the fall and winter of 2020.

In line with PrimaLoft’s efforts to become a more responsible business, the NEXT Evolve Series includes options that use between 58% and 71% post-consumer recycled content. The company has also said the polyester used can be chemically recycled and fed back into a circular system.

Now for their altruistic position of using recycled polyester fiber which in their opinion is positive. It is not and never will be.

In this effort by primaloft to sell an insulating material it is not even one made with chopped staple polyester fiberfill. That may be because they just aren’t selling much of it anymore and that would be a good thing.