Polartec: from the invention of fleece to the new rules of lifestyle

The debut piece was the Snap-T model in collaboration with Patagonia, and it immediately became a must-have in mountain villages as well as among college campuses. Since then, Polartec has created many materials, always better and always more environmentally conscious. Today it is a brand of excellence for the sporting world but also for the fashion world, it has collaborations with Moncler and Nike. Let’s discover together its history!

In 1980 Polartec created PolarFleece, the fabric that revolutionized the way of conceiving sportswear. Steve Layton, president of the company, says that “Polartec’s is a modern story of transformation, from traditional factory to fabric performance innovators.” It’s hard for us to imagine a pre-fleece and pre-technical fabrics world, but it all started with the textile company Malden Mills, now Polartec, which opened the door for the outdoor world to modernity. The following year, Malden Mills created a new polyester fabric, combed it with a cylindrical wire brush to break up the coils on the pile and tease the fibers upward. And just like that, the first fleece in history was born. The fabric is light, soft and dries quickly. It’s not perfect yet, with slight balls of fluff forming on the surface, but the warmth-to-weight ratio, breathability and durability are excellent. Yvon Chouinard, CEO of Patagonia, sees great potential in PolarFleece and so is pushing for the company to perfect the fabric. Malden Mills gives the fleece a new twist and creates a material that keeps you warmer, dries faster and is also insulating. This was the beginning of a long collaboration between Patagonia and Malden Mills, dictating the new rules of outdoor clothing. In 1985, Snap-T, the fleece that immediately became iconic, hit the market. Initially a product sold in mountain towns, it soon became a must-have on college campuses and a piece everyone wanted to own. That’s how the mountain sticks to the bodies of athletes but also citizens.

In 1988, Helen Thayer made history as the first woman to ski alone at the North Pole. The New Zealand adventurer wears a PolarFleece jacket and that’s how Polartec becomes more and more popular. Years later Helen returns there with her husband Bill, combined in Polarfleece garments, and the sporting world is moved. Polartec also starts a collaboration with The North Face, resulting in the Denali fleece jacket. Everyone wears it, even climbers Todd Skinner and Paul Piana for their first 30-day ascent of El Capitan’s Salathé Wall in Yosemite. The brand’s fame continues to grow and so does its respectability. Steve Swenson as he follows a new route to Gasherbrum IV in Pakistan says, “Polartec clothing has been a key part of the outfit.” But even Steve House when trying a new route on Nuptse in Nepal, where no one had ever climbed before, tells the press that “Pretty much every climb I’ve done, I was wearing Polartec somewhere.” 

Polartec is not only a company of technical excellence, it is also environmentally conscious and created the first recycled fleece back in 1993. It is only one color, green, the same as the bottles it is made of. Since then, the company has never stopped perfecting its technique and in 2010 it presented, in collaboration with Patagonia, the R1 model, where 27 plastic bottles are used for one fleece. But it is with the Norwegian brand Norrona that he created the first 100% recycled garment with Wind ProFleece Jacket, using 40 plastic bottles and 20% less energy in the process. Today, 60% of Polartec’s production is made from 100% recyclable materials.

Polartec’s inventions and materials seem destined to never end, and new ones keep being added to its portfolio. In 1995, Polartec fulfilled the dream of every outdoor company by creating the first skin-tight material. Patagonia calls it Capile and it marks a revolution in layering, a point of no return. 1997 also saw the birth of Polartec Aqua Shell, which solved the challenge of staying both warm and dry while paddling. The jacket does the job of two, three layers of clothing. Windbloc, a 100% water and wind resistant material, is also introduced. But it’s never enough and the Polartec company doesn’t stop. It creates a flame-resistant material that it sells to the military and industry for workers’ clothing, under the Ariat and Carhartt labels. But of all Polartec’s products, perhaps the most innovative is Alpha, a material that creates active insulation. Originally designed for U.S. Special Forces, the combination of breathability and warmth has made it a product for cyclists, skiers and runners. More than other technologies, Alpha eliminated the need for multiple layers and was immediately successful and received mentions from Backpacker, Elevation Outdoors, Men’s Journal, National Geoghraphic Adventures and many others.

Polartec’s story is one of success, but it has faced its challenges. In 1995, for example, the company in Lawrence, Massachusetts, burned down but even this episode was not enough to stop the activity and indeed it was seen as a chance to rebuild and modernize everything. This is how owner Aaron Feuerstein keeps his 3,000 workers and a year later the company is rebuilt and even more innovative than the original one. The story of Polartec is the story of an extremely creative company that knows how to respond reactively to what’s going on and to the needs and desires of its customers and teaches us to look at challenges as opportunities to do better and better.

In 1999 Time named Polartec fleece one of the most important inventions of the 20th century and if we open our closets today, each of us will find at least one. Fleece is undoubtedly a technical garment suitable for skiers, climbers and hikers, but also for all of us. Today it is considered an evergreen garment even in the world of fashion, and Polartec is capable of adapting technical material to new trends. Polartec is currently collaborating with brands such as Moncler and Nike, to dictate the rules of a new lifestyle, between fashion and technical excellence.