KENNESAW, Ga. — November 8, 2022 — San Francisco-based bag company, Black Ember, designers of technical products for urban life, announce expansion of CORDURA® re/cor™ RN66 fabric adoptions with product line additions and geographical expansion.
The brand buy-in is off to a rapid start with 12 retail doors opening in Japan for the Black Ember Kompak line, plus Summer ‘22 transition of premium duffels Shadow, and Forge to new CORDURA re/cor RN66 fabric technology as well as the launch of new Dex Modular Duffel Packs featuring a lightweight CORDURA re/cor RN66 shell. The expansion of CORDURA re/cor RN66 fabric adoptions by Black Ember contributes to a strong first phase of the CORDURA Advanced Fabrics Recycled Nylon 66 launch. Details of all Black Ember CORDURA re/cor in-stock styles can be found here
The CORDURA re/cor RN66 fabric portfolio is ‘durable, responsible and innovated to last’ using 100 percent pre-consumer nylon 6,6 fiber material that is GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified. In terms of quantifiable benefits versus Virgin Nylon 6,6, the production of CORDURA re/cor RN66 fabric produces 83-percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions, uses 82-percent less energy and uses 57-percent less water.
Chris Gadway, founder of Black Ember explains why he chose CORDURA re/cor RN66, 500D: “We are proud to be one of the world’s first brands to debut CORDURA re/cor RN66 fabric in our Kompak product line. Our consumers demand that we own a proven sustainable position. We design our products to be durable, practical, and long-lasting. We were patient in our move to adopt a recycled primary textile. This is because much of what we had seen in the space did not meet our standards for sustaining textile quality. CORDURA re/cor RN66 is the right combination of recycled nylon fiber in a textile that can sustain its quality for the life of the pack.”
The CORDURA brand ethos has always been summed up in the belief that “Sustainability Begins With Products That Last™”, and this latest product line challenges the throwaway mentality within the textile industry.
Gadway continued: “500D Air Jet Textured (ATY) CORDURA re/cor RN66 fabric technology gives us the right combination of weight and strength: lightweight with enough structure to protect and provide good access to the essentials you put in your pack including tech gear such as laptops and tablets. The ATY process provides a non-shiny, matte finish that performs particularly well for our innovative laser cut designs and the combination overall makes for a great fit for our consumers’ urban wardrobe.”
Gadway founded Black Ember after a career as global creative director at several internationally renowned outdoor and activewear brands. Black Ember’s Kompak collection launched via a Kickstarter campaign in Q4 2021 with immediate international success. Chris had always wanted to take quality outdoor materials to the urban market, considering travel patterns and the fusion of leisure and travel.
Cindy McNaull, CORDURA business development director explains the rapid brand buy-in: “The emergence of the cross-over lifestyle trend whereby consumers are looking for multi-purpose products that can be used for both work, leisure, and travel pursuits means they are seeking to combine their everyday and travel products. Nowadays, it’s the end user and the situation that changes rather than the pack, whether you’re a tourist with a camera or needing to protect your tablet or tech gear.
“Black Ember has done a great job of designing into this evolving consumer need, and we are honored to continue our collaboration with them as they expand and transition their product lines using CORDURA re/cor RN66 fabric technology into new products and retail locations. When launching a new fiber, it can often take two to three seasons for fabric developments to reach the brand customer sampling stage, but our CORDURA re/cor RN66 innovation was rapidly accelerated through strong partnerships with both our fabric mill partner and brand customers such as Black Ember.”
Posted: November 8, 2022
Source: INVISTA
