GOLDWIN INC. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Takao Watanabe; hereafter “GOLDWIN”) announces the launch of its Fall/Winter 2023 collection of five brands simultaneously using the structural protein material Brewed Protein fiber, which has been jointly developed with Spiber Corporation (Headquarters: Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture; Director and Representative Executive Officer: Kazuhide Sekiyama; hereafter “Spiber”) since 2015.
This collection will be the first to be sold on a larger scale under a mass production system and will be available globally starting this fall.
Aiming to improve various environmental issues surrounding the apparel industry, we have been working with Spiber since 2015 on the joint development of structural protein materials for deployment in apparel products.
The first product developed using Brewed Protein fiber was the Planetary Equilibrium Tee, a T-shirt released by The North Face in August 2019. In November 2020, we launched the knitwear The Sweater from our original brand Goldwin. And last fall, we launched a shell jacket and fleece from Goldwin’s project Goldwin 0″. We also launched a denim jacket and pants in March this year.
Until now, all products were sold in limited quantities by lottery due to the limited production of Brewed Protein fiber. With mass production of Brewed Protein polymer at Spiber’s Thailand plant beginning in early 2022—8 years after the start of the joint development initiative between Goldwin and Spiber—we have now achieved the first-ever mass production of Brewed Protein fiber. After many years of joint development, five brands—The North Face, Goldwin, nanamica, The North Face Purple Label, and Woolrich—have all launched products featuring Brewed Protein fibers at the same time.
The North Face Purple Label’s Sierra Parka is a modern update of the Nuptse Jacket, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, and The North Face Purple Label’s masterpiece, which can be considered the prototype for outdoor down parkas. Goldwin offers the Cross-Field 3L Jacket with its roots in ski wear, while Woolrich offers the brand’s iconic Future Arctic Parka that debuted in 1972. Each of the five brands have taken advantage of the completed design of their iconic staples to create the Balmacaan Coat, which combines classic tailoring and detailing with functionality. Brewed Protein fiber is used to create new value and possibilities.
The North Face offers the Nuptse Jacket, which celebrated its 30th anniversary last year, and PURPLE LABEL’s Sierra Parka, a modern update of the original outdoor down parka. Woolrich presented the brand’s iconic Future Arctic Parka, which debuted in 1972, and nanamica presented the Balmacaan Coat, which combines classic tailoring and detailing with functionality. While leveraging the perfected designs of the iconic staples of each of the five brands, the brands aim to create new value and possibilities by adopting Brewed Protein materials.
Goldwin and nanamica, which are expanding overseas, are also sold at directly managed overseas stores. In addition, for The North Face and Woolrich, we plan to collaborate with overseas operators for global sales, and we will update information on our product lineup as needed for the product launch this fall.
In Japan, a pop-up store selling all products using Brewed Protein fiber is scheduled to open in the Marunouchi Building in September 2023.
We have set an activity goal of shifting 10% of our newly developed products to those using Brewed Protein
by 2030. Through this joint development, we will rethink the relationship between nature and humans, and continue to consider a completely new way of using materials, products, and economics that combine functionality and environmental friendliness to a high degree. We believe that by designing and proposing sports apparel that will accompany future lifestyles in beautiful harmony with nature, we can make a significant contribution to the sustainable development of human society, and we will continue to pursue research and development in partnership with Spiber.