The Woolmark Company has announced that itself and Adidas are among the
official technical partners for the Dark Ice Project – an expedition to the
geographic North Pole by accomplished polar explorers Alex Hibbert, George
Bullard and James Wheeldon.
The Woolmark Company, along with Adidas Terrex, Byborre and Gore-Tex,
has been tasked with the job of designing and creating a kit for the
six-month journey that will see the explorers face extreme colds reaching
-50 degrees Celsius and hurricane-force winds.
The journey hopes to make new discoveries in environmental science, with
the resulting research potentially uncovering how microplastics behave in
the water, snow and ice of the dark Arctic depths.
The three men will aim to reach the geographical North Pole as the sun
begins to rise in March 2021. They will first set off by boat for the first
phase of the unassisted journey before skiing the second phase – trekking
for around eight-to-ten hours each day.
Woolmark and Adidas launch The Dark Ice Project
Alongside textile innovation studio Byrorre, Woolmark has developed a
wool-rich base and mid-layer system from technical Merino yarns from the
Südwolle Group for the explorers.
The Woolmark Company managing director Stuart McCullough said in a
statement: “The Dark Ice Project not only reinforces The Woolmark Company’s
commitment to championing innovation at the fibre, processing and garment
stage, but also highlights our dedication to promoting best-practice to
ensure minimal impact on the environment. We are proud to have partnered
with this group of like-minded global leaders in performance and
innovation, challenging and inspiring us in new and unique ways.”
Additionally, Adidas Terrex has developed the outerwear in collaboration
with Byrorre, supported by The Woolmark Company and Gore-tex. The outerwear
features weather protection technology from Gore-tex and a wool fleece
lining in the trousers and jackets to be worn during the ski phase of the
expedition for better thermoregulation.
Adidas Outdoor general manager Tim Janaway said: “We are very excited to
be working with The Dark Ice Project explorers and our great partners
within the apparel industry. Obviously the conditions that will be
experienced will test both the men and their equipment to the full. The
Dark Ice Project exemplifies our belief that performance need not be
sacrificed for sustainability. The learnings we will take from this work
will help us to develop even better performing, more sustainable products
for the outdoor consumer.”
After testing the designs, it was concluded that the wool single jersey
base-layer outperformed the single jersey base-layer previously worn by the
explorers, with an 18 percent reduction in weight, a 26 percent increase in
thermal resistance, a 3 percent increase in breathability, a 28 percent
improvement in the dry time and 61 percent improvement in drying rate.
Explorer George Bullard said: “Our clothing forms an essential part of
this project; indeed, it allows us to survive in the harsh winter on the
Arctic Ocean. We are delighted to be able to build and create specialised
base and mid-layer garments that are not only sustainably sourced but also
traceable from Australian farms to the finished products. This ethos aligns
seamlessly with ours.”
Photo courtesy of Woolmark
