The North Face Announces FUTURELIGHT, A New Breathable Waterproof Material
The North Face unveiled Futurelight at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. It is a new breathable waterproof material developed using innovative Nanospinning technology, that they hope will revolutionize the future of technical fabrics. Here’s some details from the press release…
“Right now, the expectation from a waterproof product is something loud, crunchy, muggy and unpackable. With FUTURELIGHT we can theoretically use the technology to make anything breathable, waterproof and for the first time, comfortable. Imagine a waterproof t-shirt, sweater or even denim that you actually want to wear. Today we start with jackets, tents and gloves, but the possibilities could be endless.”
With FUTURELIGHT technology, The North Face is also setting a new standard in sustainability through new practices in the fabric creation process. These advances have allowed the brand to responsibly create three-layer garments through use of recycled fabrics and production that cuts chemical consumption, all while being produced in a cleaner, solar-powered factory.
The Nanospinning process used to create FUTURELIGHT fabric, has allowed the brand's designers to add unprecedented air permeability into the membrane of a fabric for the first time. The process creates Nano-level holes, allowing for incredible porosity while still maintaining total waterproofness, letting air move through the material and provide more venting than ever before.
Additionally, Nanospinning gives designers the ability to adjust weight, stretch, breathability, durability, construction (knit or woven), and texture to match athletes' and consumers' activity or environment. Designers can customize the fabric for specific usage, for example, by increasing breathability in garments for aerobic pursuits or increasing protection for harsh, wet climates. The ability to adjust these factors in fabric construction is unprecedented in apparel, equipment and accessories.
FUTURELIGHT fabric will first become available to consumers in The North Face's Fall 2019 product line and will be featured across the brand's pinnacle performance collections.
