#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2023-11-30

GORE-TEX brand and BIONIC collaborate to create Patagonia’s warmest jacket on the market

Patagonia has released its new STORMSHADOW PARKA, the warmest jacket of their current offerings. The jacket is also the first product in-market to feature new material innovation from the GORE-TEX Brand and Bionic, delivering on the brands’ shared values of turning garbage into good.

The STORMSHADOW PARKA is available for purchase now, and features a unique textile and laminate combination made from recycled and ocean-bound materials

The Patagonia Stormshadow Parka is one of the brand’s warmest parkas to date and one of the most active in helping us to rely on cleaner, non-extractive materials. Built to keep you outside for longer, it’s the ideal cold weather companion – whether braving the work commute or venturing out to explore the places we love to protect.

“We are so proud and excited to finally reveal the result of years of hard work and collaboration,” said Mark Little, Global Product Director, Men’s Life Outdoors for Patagonia. “This product could only be made possible by all parties coming together and bringing their respective expertise and resources to the table to pursue a shared goal of turning waste into opportunity.”

The durably waterproof, windproof, breathable GORE-TEX Fabric used in the STORMSHADOW PARKA features a textile component made of 50% material from Bionic’s operations in Costa Rican coastal communities. In addition, the new 2-layer laminate is made without PFCs* and features Gore’s new ePE (expanded polyethylene) membrane and a well-proven, DWR (durable waterproof repellent) treatment.

“The collaboration between the GORE-TEX Brand, Bionic and Patagonia is a true testament to what brands with aligned values can accomplish,” said Achim Loeffler, Consumer Fabrics Business Leader, W. L. Gore & Associates. “We all share a commitment to using scientific innovations to find solutions for complex problems so that we can to go further together and turn garbage into good.”

In December 2020, W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) and Bionic announced a collaboration to develop high-performance textiles made from recycled coastal and marine plastic. Gore also invested in Bionic’s plastic recovery and sorting facility in Cóbano, Costa Rica - an operation that collects plastic waste so it does not end up in the ocean. Sorted plastic waste is then turned into materials used partially in the textile component of the new 2-layer GORE-TEX Laminate made with recycled BIONIC textile. Gore has also provided investment, material science and supply chain knowledge to Bionic, helping to create a robust, scalable supply chain, as well as local recycling infrastructure in the Costa Rican communities.

“We believe in the power of working together, and this launch epitomizes that belief as it represents years of close collaboration with Gore, the development of novel processing techniques, and the creation of an entirely new and traceable supply chain,” said Tim Coombs, Bionic co-founder. “Moreover, Patagonia as a brand offers the perfect home for a collective milestone like this, given its long history of high-performance innovation and environmental stewardship.”

The jacket is available now via Patagonia.com as well as select retailers nationwide for the price of $899. For more information, please visit:

http://Patagonia.com

* advances Gore Fabrics’ goal of being free of PFCs of environmental concern over the lifecycle of its consumer products. In this case, the goal is accomplished using nonfluorinated materials.

Learn more on:

https://gtx.is/pfcec

GORE, GORE-TEX, GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY and designs are trademarks of W. L. Gore & Associates.

BIONIC, BIONIC design, and STRONGER THREAD are trademarks of Return Textiles, LLC

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Mario Jorge Machado re-elected President of EURATEX

The EURATEX General Assembly has re-elected Mario Jorge Machado as President of EURATEX, renewing its confidence in his leadership at a crucial moment for the European textile and clothing industry. The sector is facing rising costs, global competitive pressure and an increasingly challenging transition towards sustainability and digitalisation.

Next week’s focus: Intertextile Shenzhen & Yarn Expo Shenzhen fuse textile tradition with sustainable, digital trends

Fashion will not be left behind in one of the world’s undisputed tech and manufacturing capitals. Which is why next week, at Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics and Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026, the organisers have made special efforts to integrate textile topics such as materials innovation, holistic sustainability, digitalisation and AI. Yet, from 9 – 11 June at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, the platform also includes timeless tradition and heritage-inspired evolution in equal measure. Across both shows, over 600 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions are set to showcase everything from Peruvian alpaca wool fabrics to tea-derived fibres, while their fringe programmes will explore diverse solutions along the entire value chain.

GenuTrace client advisory: Is your cotton supply chain UFLPA ready?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released updated operational guidance (CBP Publication No. 5560-0526) expanding its forced labor enforcement framework. The guidance supersedes the original 2022 UFLPA Operational Guidance and now covers all forced labor enforcement authorities — UFLPA, CAATSA, and WROs/Findings — in a single unified document. For cotton importers, the enforcement posture has not softened. It has become more structured, more documented, and more demanding. Learn more about UFLPA.

STOLL: Agreement signed for the divestiture of selected assets

In early 2025, KARL MAYER announced its strategic decision to focus on its core business areas of WARP KNITTING, WARP PREPARATION, and TECHNICAL TEXTILES. As part of this move, the flat knitting machine business under the STOLL brand was discontinued and the production site in Reutlingen was closed in October 2025.

TERNAfil wins first place at PitchMiUp Night 2026 in Minden

The RWTH spin-off TERNAfil has developed MAXCarbon, a new high-performance hybrid fibre that combines the mechanical performance of carbon with the temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials. For this development, TERNAfil was awarded first prize at the PitchMiUp Night in Minden on 21 May 2026.