As the coronavirus pandemic stretches into its fifth month, apparel brands have pivoted to showcase innovations that help wearers go about their daily lives safely.
Los Angeles fabric company Lambs, which integrates protective technologies like radiation-proofing and antimicrobial agents into its garments, has debuted a new tool for the COVID-19 era.
The Snapback Glove is designed to prevent contact with potentially virus-laden surfaces as wearers venture out into the world and touch objects, open doors, sign receipts and perform other seemingly mundane, yet potentially risky, tasks.
Attached to a clip that hangs from a belt loop, the glove is made with the company’s proprietary WaveStopper technology, which also blocks radiation from cell phones and WiFi. The material is comprised of 70 percent SilverFlex fibers, which have known antimicrobial and antiviral properties that help keep the glove clean and limit transmission from surface to surface.
According to co-founder and CEO Arthur Menard de Calenge, the fabric’s components have been documented to bind to and denature the proteins in a virus membrane.
“Viruses infect human cells by binding to them using the proteins of the virus membrane, and so this binding and denaturing process deactivates the virus and prevents it from infecting a host cell,” he said.
The Snapback Glove is reusable, helping consumers avoid the wasteful impact of disposable plastic gloves. Because of its virus-busting properties, the glove is essentially self-cleaning, he said.
According to de Calenge, the product has already generated significant interest on the company’s direct-to-consumer site where it retails for $28. The CEO said he was pleasantly surprised to find that some of Los Angeles’ high-profile residents have made purchases over the past month.
While the Snapback Glove is only available for purchase online at the moment, Lambs is exploring opportunities to market with grocery chains and big-box retailers, de Calenge said.
In response to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s call to action for the city’s apparel brands and manufacturers to produce personal protective equipment, Lambs also began making silver-lined masks in April.
To date, the company has produced tens of thousands of masks, two-thirds of which have been donated or issued to essential workers.