“We’re making these polos out of China because that’s where all the waste comes from. Kolbe said the brand “did a lot of research, worked with material scientists, and one of our partners is the actual mill” to develop the fabric. We took the best cotton in the world, which is Supima, and we created some other things that give the polos natural performing characteristics of cooling and anti-odor that you typically get from chemicals, and it has the comfort that people expect.” “To make something really different you have to go to that raw material level, which takes a couple of years of development. “We did a lot of research, worked with material scientists, started with raw materials, turn them into yarns and turned the yarns into fabric,” Kolbe explained. “The ultimate result is ‘hyper-comfort’ and very easy care.” “It’s a different perception of what luxury is and that is what we are coming at it with - using nature to define luxury,” added Arkins, who has extensive marketing, design and digital expertise, and worked with Kolbe at Original Penguin. “Most could not afford to make it, let alone figure out how to make it. “I’ll be honest with you, this a very expensive fabric,” Kolbe said. Prices are a rung below designer label polos, which generally run around $200. It’s a luxury product, Arkins added, considering its lighter footprint on the environment, and justifiably higher prices set at $135 for the featherweight jersey polo $165 for micro pique polo, and $195 in heavyweight pique. “We set out two years ago to make the best polo shirt in the world, the Tesla of polo shirts.” “HyperNatural polos are based on the awesomeness of nature,” said Kolbe, a product and branding executive who has held senior positions at Belk, Kohl’s, Lands’ End, Lucky Brand Jeans, Mexx Europe and Original Penguin. It has that kind of intelligence,” Kolbe said. “It recognizes itself in the mirror, like a gorilla or a dolphin. The logo is a magpie bird, which is considered one of most intelligent creatures. The design is very clean there are no hangtags. Details include mother-of-pearl buttons, tight stitching on the collar to keep it from flapping, and an inside pocket that’s actually a lens cleaner for eyeglasses. The clean design of the HyperNatural polo shirt.įor season one, the polos are being offered in two fabrics, micro pique and featherweight jersey two fits, classic and slim, and 29 colors, all solids. ![]() The cooling and anti-odor will not wash out over time, because the jade stone and chitin are part of the fibers in the yarn. “We have worn these shirts for several days in a row to a week and there is no body odor. ![]() ![]() The chitin, aside from its odor resistance, moisturizes the skin, reduces inflammation and supports skin regeneration and healing, Kolbe claimed. There is a natural coolness to the touch but it also regulates your skin temperature three to five degrees cooler than if you didn’t have it.” “We took Supima cotton, which is the very best cotton in the world, and mixed it with jade stone, which is the waste from jade mining. During an interview at the HyperNatural offices on West 38th Street in Manhattan, the two entrepreneurs said their polos are made from Supima cotton for extra softness and less pilling due to its extra-long staple fiber jade stone for a cooling quality chitin, a biopolymer from crab and prawn shells that’s anti-microbial for odor resistance natural plant dyes instead of chemical dyes for colors, and recycled Creora Regen Spandex for stretch, which is new and expensive and the only non-natural element in the garment. Kolbe and Christian Arkins are cofounders of HyperNatural, a self-funded start-up utilizing a more scientific and sustainable formula for creating men’s polo shirts.
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