Polartec®, the leading manufacturer of fleece fabric in the world, recently announced which company would receive the APEX award this year. Polartec® lays great emphasis on innovation in fabrics and to enhance that, it awards the company thought best to interpret that spirit of the company. The Polartec® APEX awards are given to those designers and companies who create products from Polartec® fabrics that excel above others. The garments and accessories are judged by novelty, design, cut and usability.

66°North is proud to say that the company won the APEX award for 2009. Many of the world’s largest makers of outdoor clothes use Polartec® fabrics in their products and thus it is a large stepping-stone for 66° North to win this award, especially as this is the third year in a row that 66° North claims the gold in the form of this coveted award. Last year, the Embla children’s jacket was the winner. In all, 66° North has won this award nine times.

The jacket that won the award this year is named Akrafjall. This is a great looking and stylish fleece jacket for adults, designed by Bergthora Gudnadottir. The jackets are made of Polartec® Powerstretch® and Thermal Pro® Jacquard® which is a new type of fleece containing 18% wool, so it keeps the wearer warm while breathing well and drying quickly.

About 66˚North

66°North is one of Iceland's oldest manufacturing companies, and has for decades been a market leader in seaman's and work clothes. In the past decade, 66°North has grown fast as it has leveraged its expertise into a wide selection of outdoor clothing, and has received numerous awards for its designs and marketing campaigns.

Today, 66°North has more than 300 employees and it runs 10 shops in Iceland under the brands 66°North and Rammagerdin.

The company’s website is www.66north.com