"But now, Nike is taking this premise to its ultimate conclusion, and launching its first coats that are insulated by nothing but air. And to tweak their warmth, you can even pump them up and deflate them as you like. The technology will debut in the Therma-FIT Air Milano Jacket, which will be worn by medal winners standing on the podium at the Winter Olympics this February."
"Nike has been designing inflatable jackets for nearly 20 years, since it first started putting air bladders in a coat for Nike ACG, its outdoor performance line. When the design team shared early experiments from its archives, I noted that all have that waterproof windbreaker look-and each uses different inflatable mechanisms, ranging from a blow straw, to a hand pump, to an iPhone and an app."
"But Air Milano isn't a jacket that contains some Nike air bladders inside. Instead, the entire jacket is inflatable. How is that possible? Years of iteration. First, Nike sourced a fabric that feels somewhere between a cotton comforter and a swim shirt. It somehow feels naturally soft and synthetically stretchy at the same time. Nike takes two pieces of this fabric, and then welds them together at the seam"
Traditional insulation relies on loft materials like wool, down, and synthetic fills that trap air pockets to retain heat. Nike’s Therma-FIT Air Milano Jacket replaces insulating fill with air itself, making the entire garment inflatable so wearers can pump it up or deflate it to tune warmth. The jacket can transition from a windbreaker-like deflated state to a midweight puffer when inflated and will be worn by Winter Olympics medalists. Nike’s inflatable outwear lineage spans nearly 20 years of experiments with internal bladders and varied inflation mechanisms. The Air Milano achieves full-body inflation through a proprietary soft, stretchy fabric welded together at seams.
Read at Fast Company
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