According to Switzerland-based functional textiles producer Schoeller, its NanoSphere finish not only offers weather protection, breathability and environmental benefits, it is also longer lasting.

It claims new tests—including AATCC test method 79—prove the finish provides extraordinary resilience. The results show that, after 30,000 abrasion cycles, the water and oil repelling function of NanoSphere proved to be at the top level while a comparable, conventional finish dropped to practically zero following 5,000 cycles. Furthermore, the Bundesmann rain test revealed that, after 10 minutes of constant exposure to rain with a simulated 100 litres of water on a 1m² fabric sample, the finish still displayed a value of four (where the maximum level is six), compared with a “conventional” product, which achieved a value of one.