brrrº News

Atlanta Inno: Female Founders to Watch

by Mary Jane

Advancing performance cooling

It’s been several decades since a major athletic brand introduced clothing that had better wicking capabilities for improved moisture management.

Although they were widely marketed as “cooling,” those garments were really just good at one thing: wicking.

That development set the stage for other advances like wet “snap” towels that use the principles of evaporative cooling but they only work when they are wet — which is fine if you’re mowing the lawn or out for a run, but isn’t very practical for office attire, casual wear or most activities in daily life.

Some products achieve a cooling sensation with chemical sprays or coatings that wash out and diminish over time, which is also harmful to the environment. However, cooling fabric innovator brrr° is advancing the category by using natural cooling minerals, active wicking and rapid drying technologies that create a “Triple Chill Effect” that instantly and continuously draws heat and moisture away from the skin.

Every brrr° fabric is independently lab tested and scientifically proven to outperform other products.

Mary-Cathryn Kolb, founder and CEO of brrr°, says: “We stand behind the science and brrr° is proven to help keep you cooler and more comfortable wherever life takes you — work, working out, hanging out with your family, or meeting friends for dinner.”

A more sustainable choice

As brrr° technology is permanently embedded in the structure of the yarn, it won’t ever fade or wash out like the chemical sprays and coatings used by some other companies.

There are also versions of brrr° made with recycled material that divert post-consumer products from landfills and reduce the need for virgin material and brrr° fabrics made with sustainably grown materials such as hemp and bamboo.

The company has a library of hundreds of fabrics and can create custom blends or fabrics for clients to meet their specifications.

brrr° holds GRS certification in accordance with Global Recycled Standards, which shows customers and consumers that companies are committed to meeting internationally recognised sustainability standards and practices. brrr° also follows OEKO-TEX standards for sustainability and safety.

In addition to its appeal during the hot months of the year, brrr° is gaining popularity in base layer clothing and activewear for year-round comfort and dryness because it supports the body’s natural thermoregulation, such as hoodies by Duck Camp and Strafe and a featherweight performance pullover by Criquet.

Kolb continues: “brrr° can help keep you more comfortable all year long. And when your body can regulate its own temperature more effectively, you don’t need to use as much air conditioning and heating.”

Comfort is king

In our post-pandemic world, the number one thing consumers want in their clothing is comfort and 70% say they plan to dress more casually from now on, according to a survey by NPD and research by The Wall Street Journal.

Numerous retailers have made repeat purchases of brrr° as they expand the cooling fabric to more of their products. brrr° is now used in a wide variety of garments made by major brands including BRADY by Tom Brady, Adidas, Greyson, Southern Tide, Vineyard Vines, and numerous brands in Europe such as Jack Wolfskin, Triumph, and Martini.

Beyond apparel, brrr° is also used in bedding by Sheex, baseball hats by 47 Brand, compression sleeves for people who have lymphedema, sports medicine support boots for horses and more.

A leader in cooling fabric innovation

In the decade since brrr° was founded, the Atlanta, US-based company has become a leader in cooling textile technology innovation. brrr° holds several patents and is constantly investing in R&D to develop the next generation of cooling textiles.

The company recently created a performance cooling product called brrr° Pro that uses micro cooling minerals to amplify the cooling sensation, plus hyper wicking and performance drying.

In independent lab testing, brrr° Pro Polyester scored 0.194 in Q-MAX cool-touch testing, which was 81% better than another brand of cooling fabric and 53% better than a comparable performance polyester. It also outperformed in wicking and drying tests.

“brrr° Pro intensifies the cooling sensation because there is more surface area for our micro cooling minerals to scavenge heat and draw moisture away from the skin,” Kolb adds.

Why isn’t there a cooling standard?

As consumers seek better performance from their clothing, there is a pressing need for a universal standard to define the “cooling” category and move toward common testing methods to support cooling fabric claims — similarly to the way UPF sun protection is measured.

brrr° relies on scientific independent lab tests by globally respected third party labs to prove the cooling, wicking and drying properties of each of its fabrics using widely recognised standards by FTTS and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC).

Adopting universal standards to measure the coolness of fabric would also reduce confusion among consumers and entice people to try new products. This could encourage more retailers to offer apparel made with cooling fabrics and propel new growth in the category.

To learn more about innovative brrr° cooling fabric technology, please visit brrr.com.

Read the full WTiN 2023 Material Innovation Report here.

by Mary Jane

RunStyle magazine: Heat Wave

by Mary Jane

Sourcing Journal: Why brrr° Cooling Fabric is a Year-Round Staple

As consumer demand for cooling fabric grows, performance fabric is quickly becoming an essential, no matter the month.

In the past, many thought cooling fabric was a hot-weather item. However, that myth is being cast aside, and cooling performance fabric is earning its rightful place as a key component for clothes—even when the mercury drops.

As a cooling fabrics innovator, brrr° combines the powers of natural cooling minerals, active wicking and rapid drying to draw heat and moisture away from your skin all day long. In addition to supporting your body’s natural thermoregulation when you get too hot, every brrr° fabric is scientifically tested by independent third-party labs to prove that it keeps you cooler and outperforms other brands.

For maximum cooling power, brrr° Pro amplifies the effect with enhanced fibers, offering hyper-wicking and performance-drying actions.

“Brrr° is a year-round ingredient for comfort and confidence, whether you are doing something intensely physical or simply living an active lifestyle,” said Mary-Cathryn Kolb, founder and CEO of the Atlanta-based brrr°. “We feel our best when we are cooler and dryer.”

Essential for maximum comfort

Numerous brands are using brrr° in a wide range of apparel, including garments intended for outdoor activities during the cooler months and transitional base layers that are versatile for the fall and spring bumper seasons.

For example, Aspen, Colorado-based Strafe Outerwear uses brrr° in its line of lightweight technical hoodies and jogger pants, which are great for hiking, camping and other intense outdoor activities. American-made outerwear brand Forloh has a line of pants, long-sleeved shirts and hoodies that use brrr° for ultimate comfort.

Brady Brand—created by retired NFL quarterback, Tom Brady—uses brrr° in its golf pants as well as its polos and T-shirts. Sportswear giant Adidas offers a line of polos and Henley polos for men, plus sleeveless polos for women that are year-round wardrobe utility players.

Casual and lifestyle brands also use brrr° to elevate the performance and comfort of wardrobe staples. GenTeal Apparel, for example, has a line of brrr° polos, and Southern Tide’s collection of polos, hoodies and button-down shirts are great transitional and layering pieces.

A solution for hot sleepers

Good sleep is essential when recovering from physical activity and everyday life, but many people struggle to fall or stay asleep.

To get better rest, research by the National Sleep Foundation shows that a quiet, dark and cool bedroom supports deeper sleep. However, while sleeping, many people overheat and get sweaty, interrupting sleep cycles and preventing the body from getting the deep, restorative rest that refreshes and energizes.

That’s why pajama experts Pajamagram created a line of cooling pajamas made with brrr° Pro cooling fabric. Bedding brand Sheex also offers Midnight Label sheet sets powered by brrr° cooling fabric.

“More retailers can enhance their apparel by adding patented brrr° cooling technology to their lineup. brrr° has hundreds of poly and nylon fabrics as well as blends, and can create custom cooling fabric to meet unique specifications,” Kolb said. “Even in the cooler months, brrr° can help keep you comfortable so you can get a better night’s rest.”

To learn more about brrr° cooling fabric technology, visit brrr.com.

by Mary Jane

SportsTextiles: brrr° Leads in Cooling Performance Fabric

Cooling fabric innovator brrr° is bringing its advanced performance technology to more brands across the globe and across the athletic and outdoor categories — and far beyond.

The company’s patented process combines the powers of natural cooling minerals, active wicking and rapid drying to create a “Triple Chill Effect” that instantly and continuously draws heat and moisture away from the skin.

In independent third-party lab tests brrr° is proven to keep you cooler, and brrr° fabrics consistently outperform other brands.

The cooling technology of brrr° is permanently embedded in the structure of the yarn when it’s manufactured, so it won’t ever fade or wash out over time. And unlike wet “snap” towels, brrr° works when it’s dry and the cooling effects can be felt for the entire time brrr° fabric touches the skin.

There are also versions of brrr° made with recycled material, and sustainable material such as hemp. brrr° holds GRS certification in accordance with Global Recycled Standards, which shows customers and consumers that companies are committed to meeting internationally recognized sustainability standards and practices.

Since the startup was founded in 2014, brrr° has quickly become a leader in cooling textile technology.

The superior cooling powers of brrr° fabrics are now integrated in a wide variety of garments made by major athletic and activewear brands including BRADY by Tom Brady, Adidas, Greyson, Strafe Outerwear, and numerous brands in Europe such as Jack Wolfskin, Triumph, Martini and many more.

brrr° also has crossover appeal far beyond the athletic space. The cooling fabric brand is being used in athleisure, casual wear, business apparel, undergarments, pajamas, bedding by Sheex, baseball hats by 47 Brand, compression sleeves for people who have lymphedema, sports medicine support boots for horses, and more.

In addition to its appeal during the hot months of the year, brrr° is gaining popularity in base layer clothing and activewear for year-round comfort and dryness because it supports the body’s natural thermoregulation.

“Consumers care deeply about conserving resources and minimizing environmental impact, and brrr° can help keep you more comfortable all year long,” said Mary-Cathryn Kolb, Founder and CEO of brrr°. “When your body can regulate its own temperature more effectively, you won’t use as much cooling and heating energy.”

Founded by a SPANX executive

brrr° began as a kernel of an idea when Kolb was an executive at shapewear brand SPANX. She often reviewed and analyzed new products the company was developing, and kept thinking about the versatility of the tiny little fibers that worked so hard to shape and support our bodies.

She wondered about the other things those fibers could do to keep people more comfortable. Could they draw away heat, wick away moisture, and dry faster?

Kolb founded Atlanta-based brrr° in 2014 with a simple vision: to develop innovative cooling fabrics that could actually reduce the temperature of our skin to keep us cooler and more comfortable as we went about our everyday lives.

“We knew there had to be a way for our clothes to actively draw away heat and moisture to keep us cooler,” said Kolb, who has more than 20 years of experience in apparel and textiles.

brrr° scientists researched, developed and tested hundreds of formulas before they settled on a proprietary blend of natural cooling minerals, active wicking and rapid drying — which became the patented technology behind brrr°.

brrr° creates a “Triple Chill Effect” that instantly and continuously draws heat and moisture away from the skin. Every brrr° fabric is independently tested by globally recognized labs and proven to keep you cooler.

Patented cooling fabric technology

It’s been almost a decade since brrr° was started, and the award-winning company has become a recognized leader in performance cooling fabrics. brrr° holds several patents and is constantly investing in R&D to develop the next generation of cooling textiles.

The company created a performance cooling product called brrr° Pro that uses micro cooling minerals to amplify the cooling sensation, plus hyper wicking and performance drying.

In independent lab testing, brrr° Pro Polyester scored 0.194 in Q-MAX cool-touch testing, which was 81% better than another brand of cooling fabric and 53% better than a comparable performance polyester. It also outperformed in wicking and drying tests.

“brrr° Pro intensifies the cooling sensation because there is more surface area for our micro cooling minerals to draw heat and moisture away from the skin,” Kolb said.

Work, play — and everything in between

As it gains global brand recognition and is adopted by numerous international brands, brrr° continues to draw interest from retailers across many apparel categories.

Beyond the natural fit for sports, athletic and activewear, brrr° is now used in everything from office attire such as button-down shirts, dresses, casual resort wear, polos, shorts, and everyday t-shirts. In response to consumer demand, many brrr° customers have expanded the cooling fabric to more items, including Southern Tide, Vineyard Vines, and Pajamagram to name a few.

Many retailers are incorporating brrr° into their layering pieces and outdoor wear such as hoodies by Duck Camp and Strafe, and a featherweight performance pullover by Criquet.

brrr° continues to position itself as a year-round essential technology that can make any item of clothing or textile feel even better against the skin as people go about their everyday lives.

“Wherever you are, brrr° helps keep you more comfortable and feeling your best,” Kolb said.

Learn more about brrr° performance cooling fabric technology at brrr.com.

Read the full article here.

by Mary Jane

Sourcing Journal: Advancing Performance Cooling Fabric Technology with Scientific Proof

For more than four decades, brands have marketed cooling clothing to consumers by touting how well it wicks away moisture. In fact, when a major athletic brand introduced a new line of wicking golf apparel with ultraviolet (UV) protection in the early ’90s, it set a new standard for moisture management. Other brands soon adopted wicking technology, and in the early 2010s, wet “snap” towels became popular.

But while moisture management is important, wicking fabric really just moves moisture around. What if fabric could draw away heat and reduce skin temperature?

In recent years, there has been a proliferation of new cooling fabric technologies. Like predecessors from the ’90s, most wick and dry well. Some use chemical finishes to achieve a cooling effect, which diminish and wash out over time. Some must be wet to activate the cooling effect, which might be sufficient for the gym or mowing the lawn, but isn’t practical for the office or meeting friends for dinner.

To combat these problems and more, cooling fabric innovator brrr° is advancing the category by using natural cooling minerals, active wicking and rapid drying technologies to create a “Triple Chill Effect” scientifically proven to lower skin temperature by several degrees.

brrr° continuously draws heat away from the body, so it keeps cooling the longer you wear it. In independent lab tests, brrr° consistently outperforms other cooling products in cooling, wicking and drying tests under FTTS—a group of standardized tests that can be performed on fabrics to check their cooling, wicking, drying properties and more—and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) standards.

Tom Brady is a fan

In our post-pandemic world, the No. 1 thing consumers want in their clothing is comfort, and 70 percent say they plan to dress more casually from now on, according to a survey by NPD and research by The Wall Street Journal.

Major brands—including BRADY Brand by Tom Brady, Adidas, Jack Wolfskin, Reebok, Greyson, Southern Tide and Vineyard Vines—are already using brrr° cooling technology to elevate their apparel.

“I’ve been living in this thing recently, and it actually lowers your body temperature. Which I need here. It’s perfect for Tampa,” Brady said in a video posted to his Facebook page in 2022. “Listen, I put them to the test this past summer and it made all the difference.”

Consumers also rave about the cooling comfort of apparel made with brrr° fabric. Southern Tide has expanded brrr° fabric to more men’s, women’s and youth clothing, including their bestselling men’s brrr°-die Performance Short.

“Best shorts I have ever owned. They are light and comfortable,” said Ben W., a Southern Tide customer, in an online review.

Sustainability and universal standards

Many companies are setting sustainability goals to reduce their carbon footprint by deepening their recycling programs, minimizing virgin materials usage, switching to replenishable materials and pursuing more eco-friendly products and production methods.

brrr° offers recycled yarns that are Global Recycled Standards (GRS) Certified, which divert material from landfills and reduce the need for virgin material. Because brrr° technology is permanently embedded in the structure of the yarn, it never fades or washes out like the chemical sprays and coatings used by other companies.

As consumers seek better performance from their clothing, there is a pressing need for a universal standard to define the “cooling” category and move toward common testing methods to support cooling fabric claims—similarly to the way UPF sun protection is measured.

by Mary Jane