Polartec (www.polartec.com), the world’s leading manufacturer of fleece fabric, has introduced a revolutionary new product: The corn-oil fleece. Polartec has teamed with the Icelandic outdoor wear company 66°NORTH for the international introduction of the new fabric.

ISPO (www.ispo.com), which is the world’s largest winter sports-equipment expo, was recently held in München, Germany. All of the world’s major manufacturers and buyers of sports- and outdoors equipment and gear were present, showing and viewing new products in the field. Among the new products that were introduced at ISPO - which generated some of the greatest interest – was Polartec’s environmentally friendly fleece fabric made of corn oil, a world first.

The fleece fabric was originally invented by the Malden Mills company in the U.S.A in the 1980’s. The fabric was set to generate a revolution in outdoor wear. The fabric was given the name Polartec Fleece, and was picked as one of the most remarkable innovations of the 20th century by Time magazine. Traditional fleece has many good qualities, highly valued by outdoors enthusiasts, but has the drawback of being made basically from crude oil, which is a non-renewable fossil fuel.

Encouraged by growing environmental awareness, manufacturers of fleece fabric, spearheaded by Malden Mills, have tried to develop a more environmentally friendly way of making fleece. At ISPO, Polartec started a new chapter in the history of fleece: The new fleece made from environmentally friendly corn oil. Many of the world’s largest makers of outdoor wear, for instance The North Face and Arc'teryx, use Polartec fleece for their products, so it was a great honour for 66°NORTH to be asked by Polartec to make garments made of this new fabric for Polartec to wear during the ISPO show. 66°NORTH was Polartec’s first choice for the job. Eric Young, Polartec’s Marketing Manager, said that he chose 66°NORTH as a partner in this world introduction of the new fabric, because he felt it was exciting to work with a highly progressive company that had high aspirations in the marketplace. 66°NORTH was quick to respond to the ideas presented by Polartec, which Eric thought was a great advantage for the company. He said that 66°NORTH was a very innovative and flexible company which at the same time enjoyed the foundation of a long and remarkable history in the field, which is not common among outdoor wear companies.

This new product, corn oil fleece, generated considerable interest. A number of leading international media ran stories about this innovation, and covered the collaboration between 66°NORTH and Polartec. Considering the success of this project, it should not come as a surprise that the two companies plan to continue their work together in bringing the ground-breaking new fabric to the market, which they believe will further increase the high standing of both.

About 66°NORTH

66°NORTH Ltd. is one of Iceland’s oldest manufacturing companies. It was established in the year 1926, it's been a longtime leading innovator in the creation of specialised clothing for use in the toughest conditions on land and sea. 66°NORTH Ltd also prides itself on being an expert in the production of supreme quality clothing for sports and leisure. Not only does 66°NORTH have happy customers, but an impressive list of awards for its designs and marketing campaigns.

Today, the company employs a team of over 300 people. It has 9 stores in Iceland under the names of 66°NORTH and Iceland Gift Store, as well as a store in Latvia and two stores in Lithuania. Furthermore the 66°NORTH apparel is sold in retail stores across Europe and North America.

For further information about 66°NORTH visit our international webiste, www.66north.com.