Polartec® and Caliente!

Not far from here in Lawrence, Mass, Polartec® invented the world’s first synthetic fleece fabric in 1981. Polartec® fleece was eventually recognized by Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of the century, and today virtually every outdoors-person has a collection of Polartec® fleece garments in their closet: hats, gloves, vests, jackets, pants and more.

Polartec® is more than just fleece though! Polartec® fabrics range from lightweight wicking base layers, to insulation layers, to extreme weather protection and are utilized by all the best clothing brands in the world. Polartec® fabrics are also used by all branches of the United States military including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Special Operations Forces.

Polartec® is taking innovative strides toward becoming green as well. In 2009, over 30% of Polartec®’s total production will be fabrics created from post-consumer and post-industrial recycled materials. Take a tour of the Lawrence plant and you will see state of the art production procedures that are safe, healthy and environmentally friendly too. And it is the norm to meet folks who been working there 10, 20…even 30 or more years.

Polartec® is also dedicated to a variety of social causes and community organizations. “Polartec is proud to support groups like Kismet, which helps to educate and inspire young people through outdoor sports like rock climbing,” states Polartec’s director of global marketing, Nate Simmons. “This is a terrific opportunity to give a little something back to a wonderful local organization.”

Ruthann Brown of Polartec®, is a key member of the Kismet events committee, and has been instrumental in the Caliente! planning.

We are so thankful to Polartec® for supporting Kismet as Caliente!’s presenting sponsor. Learn more about Polartec® on its website, www.polartec.com or its blog, www.justazipper.com.