Warming, breathable and elastic: Freudenberg's new adaptive insulation

Outdoor sports are particularly challenging in autumn and winter: it's cold, windy, and occasionally wet. Not only do athletes reach their limits in these testy conditions, but also the demands on sportswear increase under these circumstances: Apparel has to keep warm, breathable, and allow a maximum of freedom while moving. Voluminous padding may keep you warm, but it can restrict movement. Excellent thermal insulation with sufficient breathability should give you great freedom of movement. Freudenberg has developed the right product for precisely this challenge and is launching comfortemp FLEXX, a hybrid innovation in the outdoor sports sector.

comfortemp padding looks back on a long history, as parent company Freudenberg has been producing warming insulation for the fashion and textile industry since 1948. Since then, fashion has constantly evolved and reinvented itself, also in the outdoor sector, towards functional clothing that can be worn flexibly for a wide range of activities, be it sports or everyday life. Especially in sports, performance is important in every situation and this also applies to the clothing worn. It should keep the body at its ideal temperature of 36.8 degrees Celsius in order to achieve the best possible performance. Functional clothing should therefore both keep you warm and ventilate you during exertion in order to avoid overheating.

Freudenberg's new comfortemp FLEXX hybrid technology achieves this balancing act. When stretched, comfortemp FLEXX is thin, extremely air-permeable and breathable.  In order not to overheat during exertion, the padded filling thus supports athletes during movement. When resting, the padding simultaneously fulfils all the requirements of a high-performance thermal insulation for sports and outdoor clothing and even keeps warm when wet. The new type of insulation also features an outstanding stretch content of up to 20% and is ideally suited for outdoor sportswear for cycling, running and skiing, where freedom of movement plays an important role.

Lightweight voluminous nonwovens, warp knit technology and innovative processing make it possible for comfortemp FLEXX to achieve optimum warmth properties with maximum breathability, especially during high levels of sporting activity. At the same time, the very soft and light padding adapts precisely to the movements and activity level and prevents hot spots and overheating of the body. During low-movement sports activities or at rest, the padding protects the athlete from cooling out. The padding therefore fulfils its purpose depending on the use. The adaptive insulation is also extremely durable and meets the OEKO-TEX standard for sustainability. comfortemp FLEXX thus fulfils the high demands made on clothing for the sports and outdoor sector in particular.

The innovative processing of the padding with reinforcing threads prevents fiber migration through the outer fabric and is offered by the meter. For the industry, this means less time and lower costs in processing. And for the end customer, no cold bridges form at the seams and the wearer of the garment is protected all around from cooling out.

Freudenberg's innovative insulation will be launched in February 2021 and will be presented digitally for the first time at ISPO Munich Online from February 1st to 5th. comfortemp FLEXX was also voted into the TOP 5 of ISPO TexTrends. More information on the technology can be found on the Freudenberg website.