Patagonia Inc., Ventura, Calif., will introduce Encapsil, a water-repellent down technology, in March 2013.
In 2010, the company entered into a partnership with AeonClad Coatings to develop an environmentally sustainable, plasma-based coating to create water-repellent down.
Working out of a laboratory in Austin, Texas, the companies created Encapsil. The patented, plasma nanotechnology uses safe, silicone-based chemistry that is free of fluorocarbons, and delivers a fill power of 1,000 cubic inches per ounce.
Patagonia’s first Encapsil down garments will debut in limited, special-edition quantities online and in select Patagonia retail stores in the United States, Europe and Japan.
For more information, visit patagonia.com. — L.M.
