An odor-protection technology being used in denim for the first time is promising to keep jeans fresh and clean for longer periods of time.
The rise of athleisure has yielded demand for more performance in everyday clothing as well, and Polygiene is looking to target the odor battling part of performance clothing as consumers increasingly seek jeans that don’t have to be washed as often.
The ingredient brand developed a permanent solution that gets applied to fabric during the finishing stage to stop the growth of odor-causing bacteria and fungi at the source. The treatment is made from low concentrations of silver salt derived from recycled silver in electronics waste. The silver salt technology is only active on the garments themselves and does not interfere with the wearer’s skin.
Though Polygiene has largely gone into sports clothing and shirts so far, demand for the odor-protection garments has been so great in recent years, the company is now increasing its use of the technology both in volume and in new product segments, like denim.
In Japan, jeans with Polygiene are part of The Shop TK’s 2018 spring and summer collection. The Shop TK, one of the major brands within leading Japanese apparel company World Group, has been selling apparel with Polygiene for some time, and the addition of denim is supposed to be a hit.
“The Shop TK has more than doubled the sales of products treated with Polygiene’s Stays Fresh Technology, and therefore we have great expectations on the launch of jeans treated with Polygiene,” Polygiene CEO Ulrika Bjork said. “Jeans is a typical garment that can be spared from the wear and tear of too many washes.”
The lure of Polygiene’s “Wear More, Wash Less” message has been a definite driver for consumers. Garments that are washed less frequently not only save water, but less laundering also prolongs the lifespan of the garment. The Polygiene treatment is also Bluesign approved and is on the Oeko-Tex list of independently tested and certified products.
