Our membranes for technical, waterproof and breathable jackets

Our textiles team work on all sports, as there is often an overlap between product requirements. At the extreme ends of the scale, high levels of waterproofing are required for tents while the fast hiking teams require high levels of breathability for their products. In some areas, abrasion resistance is also an important criteria. The holy grail when developing garments with membranes is to achieve the highest level of both breathability and waterproofing, but real life means that we often have to find a good compromise.

In terms of waterproofing, our components are rated from 1 to 5 stars and for breathability from low to high (with medium as mid point). So all our textiles are divided into 15 categories; of course the 5-star/high breathability category is the most difficult to achieve given that 1-star guarantees a minimum level of water repellency (allowing liquids to "slide off" the fabric)," thanks to a chemical formula developed in-house. We are always on the look out for new technologies because although we don't produce the membranes ourself, we like to work very closely with partners.

Research on membranes is really at the interface between sport (product engineers), where requirements are described using criteria such as waterproofing, abrasion resistance, stretch or even low weight, and production with specifications defining, for example, softness ("hand feeling,") and other considerations. Our method engineers then have to do a juggling act between design and manufacturing in order to find the best compromise between intended use and style, before moving to large scale production. For example, you can have a product with a very attractive design, with lots of curves, which will then need to be covered with seam sealing tapes. The methods engineer, who is very familiar with design principles, will find a compromise with the designer to help avoid industrial problems. Achieving this balance between intended use and style is a constant feature of our product development process. It can also be a source of innovation.

A large focus of our work on components is about trying to reduce environmental impact and improving recyclability as much as possible. Today, we use polyester and polyamide with a bonded polyurethane membrane. It is very difficult to recycle this type of composite material beyond just giving it a second life. Eventually, we want to be able to recreate yarn from a jacket and the best way to do this is to use single-material components. So we're working on textiles that have polyester as the main membrane component.