History
In 1983 the US Army Research Laboratory in Natick, MA approached PrimaLoft’s former parent company Albany International Corp., a global advanced textile and material processing company, to develop a water resistant synthetic alternative to goose down for use in military sleeping bags and clothing systems in variable environmental conditions. The US Army was primarily interested in a synthetic insulation that would be comparable to goose down in weight, compressibility, and warmth, but also retain heat while in the presence of moisture. In 1985, United States Patent 4,588,635 for "synthetic down" was filed and ultimately approved in May of 1986. This original non-woven insulation would eventually be renamed as PrimaLoft ONE. PrimaLoft was then established as a business subsidiary of Albany International Corp. in 1988 for commercialization.
In 1989 the first commercially available PrimaLoft insulated garment was manufactured by L.L. Bean. A 1990 New York Times article titled "Outdoor Wear: Sorting Out the Choices" featuring statements by Edward Howell, then L.L. Bean’s director of product development, featuring PrimaLoft insulation as a high-loft synthetic alternative to down with similar performance dry, but superior performance wet. Since then, PrimaLoft has gone on to become a major supplier of high performance, technical insulation for the outdoor industry.
On June 29, 2012, PrimaLoft, Inc. completed the acquisition of the assets of PrimaLoft® from former parent Albany International Corp. The company then became a privately held company as a result of the transaction.
PrimaLoft was introduced into new insulation product segments as follows:
- 1989: Jackets by L.L. Bean
- 1992: Sleeping bags by Caribou
- 1992: Gloves by Sand & Siman
- 1993: Home furnishings by Lands’ End
- 2000: Footwear by L.L. Bean
Read more about this topic: Prima Loft
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