Berghaus partners Ponda to scale bio-material adoption
Outdoor brand Berghaus has partnered biomaterials company Ponda for a concept coat that aims to “reshape the way textiles are made through a model that works with nature”.
Ponda’s BioPuff insulation is created by extracting fibres from plants that aid wetland regeneration. (The company was previously called SaltyCo - see more on the process in a previous feature.)
The Ponda x Berghaus women’s jacket is designed with removable components, which allows the wearer to adjust insulation levels based on activity and climate. The modular system also enables a choice between loose fill or wadding, giving flexibility to the garment’s appearance and functionality.
The concept garment was made at Fashion-Enter Ltd (FEL), a social enterprise in London. FEL opened its Fashion Technology Academy in 2015 with support from GLA and Haringey Council. It was the first academy supported by government to improve technical garment manufacture.
Berghaus is now preparing to introduce BioPuff into a limited range of its performance insulation apparel in autumn/winter 2025. As well as providing consumers with an opportunity to learn more about this regenerative material, the trial production run will allow Berghaus to work with Ponda to forge some synergies between supply chains and understand how to scale up the partnership at a commercial level.
The objective is to mitigate any logistical or financial challenges that might prevent Berghaus from working towards replacing more synthetic insulative filling with BioPuff in the longer term.
