Dive Brief:
- Columbia Sportswear is providing its proprietary heat insulation technology used in outdoor apparel to help protect a spacecraft against harsh temperatures for an upcoming commercial mission to the moon, the activewear brand announced Monday.
- Intuitive Machines will use Columbia Sportswear’s Omni-Heat Infinity heat-reflective fabric during its launch of the Nova-C lunar lander. The company tested Columbia’s heat insulation fabric during laboratory simulations ahead of its launch and found that the material would help safeguard against space temperatures, which can range between 250 degrees below zero and 250 degrees Fahrenheit, the company said.
- On Monday, Columbia will use the outside of the Sphere in Las Vegas to celebrate its Intuitive Machines partnership and promote the Omni-Heat Infinity insulation technology, per the press release.
Dive Insight:
Columbia first announced its partnership with Intuitive Machines in 2021, according to the release. The partnership is seen as a way to “test our technologies in the most extreme conditions and find ways to innovate beyond our customers’ current needs,” according to Haskell Beckham, vice president of innovation at Columbia Sportswear.
“Taking key learnings from this partnership, we’ll be able to create new products that will help people enjoy more of the outdoors – regardless of conditions – and ultimately unlock the outdoors for everyone here on Earth,” Beckham said.
As Columbia sets its sights on space, its activewear competitors have been developing innovative fabrics for life on Earth. Last April, Lululemon introduced its first plant-based nylon products in collaboration with the eco-friendly materials manufacturer Geno. The following month, it announced a multiyear deal with Samsara Eco, an Australian tech company, to help grow its fabric recycling operations.
In 2022, Nike debuted its Forward fabric, which is made of 70% recycled materials and boasts a 75% lower carbon footprint. Last month, Under Armour announced its new Neolast fiber, an alternative to spandex that it made with Celanese Corp. The two are working together to make stretch fabrics easier to recycle.
Columbia’s announcement comes after a mixed fiscal year. In the first half of 2023, the company reported relatively large sales gains, with Q1 net sales rising 8% year over year to $820.6 million and a 7% increase in Q2 net sales to $620.9 million. By the third quarter, growth was slowing, with a 3% net sales bump from last year to $985.7 million.
However, trends reversed in the fourth quarter, with net sales tumbling by 9% from the previous year to $1.06 billion. In a statement, CEO Tim Boyle said the company anticipates 2024 will be “challenging.”
