3M will host an ISPO Academy Masterclass workshop during this year’s ISPO Munich, on Monday, Nov. 28, 2022, where top design students from renowned design schools across Europe and Asia will present new concepts in outdoor sports jacket design using the new 3M Thinsulate™ Flowable Featherless Insulation.
ISPO Academy Masterclass is a cross-disciplinary project of aspiring designers from the textile and sports sectors, collaboratively exploring the creative and functional potential of performance wear in the 21st century. 3M will work with the talented young designers, to inspire new approaches that drive the sustainability evolution - an essential sports industry megatrend.
“Most outdoor jackets look very much the same. We want to engage more young sports design students from the best design schools globally to work together and identify the future direction of the industry and explore more possibilities for consumers,” said Nora Kuehner, a design and trend expert who founded the Masterclass in 2015. “We are thrilled to have 3M Thinsulate share our vision for this project and provide support to help us make it happen.”
Robert Polik, 3M senior application engineer, said: “3M is excited to partner with Nora for this Masterclass workshop, where we can introduce our new flowable featherless product to the next generation of sports industry outwear designers and showcase the product’s the form, functionality and sustainability.”
Made with 80 percent recycled content and specially designed to be flowable for easy processing, 3M Thinsulate Flowable Featherless Insulation is a lightweight, high-loft insulation ideal for puffy garments. It can be easily applied to apparel using a variety of filling machines and easily shaped to fill garments’ unique quilting channels. It also offers a high wash durability, meaning it can maintain its thermal performance even after laundering.
3M Thinsulate Flowable Featherless Insulation is the newest addition to the growing line of 3M Thinsulate Insulation products made with sustainable features, which reflects 3M’s wider sustainability initiatives. The company’s Minnesota headquarters is already powered by 100 percent renewable electricity, with an aim of achieving 50 percent renewable electricity in all global locations by 2025. Last year, 3M announced it is pledging $1 billion over 20 years to accelerate environmental goals, including achieving carbon neutrality across operations by 2050, with a 50 percent reduction by 2030 (versus a baseline year of 2019); reducing water usage by 25 percent across all facilities by 2030 (versus 2019); and reducing dependence on virgin fossil-based plastics by 125 million pounds by 2025.
Last year, 3M™ Thinsulate™ Xerogel Insulation, was named an ISPO Textrends Fall Winter 2023/24 Top Ten product, a prestigious award recognizing the latest textile-based innovations for sports and outdoor apparel.
To learn more about the 3M Thinsulate sustainable innovations, including the new 3M Thinsulate Flowable Featherless Insulation, visit the company’s partner, Rudholm & H.K Aktiebolag, at ISPO booth A2.706.
