(^2019) STYLE DESIGN
AS A CHEMICAL ENGINEER,
Vanessa Mason knows
how harmful plastics are.
“Put nylon or polyester
in the ground, and in 100 years it
doesn’t degrade,” she says. It’s on her
mind when she’s kayaking or skiing
at her family cabin in New York’s Ad-
irondacks, where microplastics have
been found. At PrimaLoft, makers of
the synthetic insulation in a lot of out-
erwear you own, her team will reduce
that waste with Bio, its new insula-
tion, made with recycled fibers, which
degrades in about 18 months. That’s
faster than a banana peel.
Mason’s team attached a simple
sugar molecule to the chemical struc-
ture of polyester, which baits the tiny
microbes that live in the ocean and
landfills. Five outdoor brands are using
Bio in 2020, including Helly Hansen with
the Shirt Jacket concept shown here.
The insulation is sandwiched between
layers of cotton and finished with wood
buttons, so the whole thing biode-
grades. The technology arrives not a
moment too soon: In 2015, the EPA’s
most recent record, the textile industry
created over 80 pounds of fabric per
person—only 15 percent of that was re-
cycled because most of it can’t be.
Mason and her team spent three
years perfecting Bio. Part of that was
proving it could work in the field and
that using a recycled material doesn’t
compromise performance. And the in-
dustry is catching on: Polartec, another
giant fabric manufacturer, has been
working with Patagonia and Arc’Teryx
to release its version of biodegradable
insulation. $TBD; hellyhansen.com
VA NESSA MASON
Senior Vice President of
Engineering, PrimaLoft
The Disappearing Jacket
INNOVATORS
062
The Convertible E-Bike
Remove the motor and battery hiding in the Look
E-765 Gravel and drop 7.26 pounds when you’re
churning. Or leave them in and hit nearly 20 mph
without breaking a sweat. $8,500; lookcycle.com
CLEAN WATER WITHOUT WAITING
If you want drinking water in half
the time of a traditional purifier, put
your back into it. Lean on the Grayl
Geopress bottle, forcing it into its
24-ounce container full of water,
and it removes viruses and
chemicals in eight seconds.
A no-brainer to take through the
Amazon but easy enough to use at
a sketchy hotel sink. $90; grayl.com
romina
(Romina)
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