Clothes don’t make the man, but the sailor does. Especially when a competition of the America’s Cup calibre is involved. Yes, because in addition to sporting and competitive aspects, this event has always been an extraordinary research laboratory for developing new technologically advanced solutions. This applies to hulls, foils and sails, but also to clothing.
The Woolmark Company, technological clothing
Proof of this is the presence of Woolmark which, also for this 37th edition, has renewed its commitment alongside Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli. The brand’s presence goes beyond the logic of the visibility that an event of this magnitude guarantees at world level. There is much more. And the experience of Auckland in 2021 proved it. ‘Although it was not a very easy period, with the races being held in New Zealand, the results went beyond expectations.
Firstly, with regard to the research and development activities with the Prada product team, which made it possible to develop innovative, high-performance and responsible products with regard to microplastics, a topic that is very much on the minds of the entire Prada Group and the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team. The most representative product was undoubtedly the sailing jacket, made with 65% merino wool, which means 65% less plastic, while maintaining high performance properties,’ comments Francesco Magri, Regional Manager, Central & Eastern Europe The Woolmark Company. ‘The results obtained,’ continues Magri, ’have confirmed our willingness to continue our partnership with the Prada Group and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, in order to always push the frontiers of innovation in wool products related to sports performance.
Together with Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
The most important novelty is that the involvement in this new sailing adventure was not only limited to the final phase of the races but also accompanied the Italian team during the long preparation phase. ‘In addition to sailing, we developed together with Prada a Merino Wool Training Kit for cycling, running and gym activities. The garments were field-tested by the athletes and certified in quality by Woolmark through independent laboratories,’ Magri continues.
The new collaboration has resulted in a line of high-performance garments. The technical training uniforms highlight the unique properties of Merino wool, including elasticity, breathability, comfort, insulation, and water resistance. The kit includes t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, leggings, a cycling tracksuit, a waterproof jacket and a revolutionary ultralight windbreaker. The latter, which weighs only 60 g/m², is completely windproof thanks to the density of the weave, while the 55% Merino wool ensures superior breathability during performance.
Utilising an innovative Merino wool-rich fabric, the interlock cycling suit offers improved temperature regulation and moisture management benefits, excelling in a variety of weather conditions and intensity levels, and is specifically designed to meet the challenging conditions faced by the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team. A wealth of experience whose applications have now transcended the boundaries of sailing.
The Woolmark Company, beyond the boundaries of sailing
‘As in Formula 1, where the technological solutions that are applied subsequently ‘trickle down’ into the commercial sphere. The innovative solutions adopted by Luna Rossa’s Prada Pirelli team are now available to everyone and many brands, including haute couture, have adopted them in their collections, not only for sportswear but also for fashion,’ adds Magri. Also because the level of experimentation that sport allows is unparalleled, especially for Woolmark. ‘There is no shadow of a doubt: for us it is the most advanced research laboratory,’ Magri continues.
‘The demand for performance is increasingly high, not only in the sporting sphere where it is necessary to go beyond the limit every time, but also because the world of sportswear fashion is adopting increasingly high-performance solutions for their collections by virtue of the comfort, breathability and versatility they guarantee. The research developed in the sportswear field also makes it possible to approach new market segments that were hitherto precluded to wool, such as beachwear (e.g. Arena’s new beachwear made with 65% Merino wool, shoes made in collaboration with Salomon, and other areas outside the classical clothing sectors); or automotive (with Volvo we made the interiors of the new Ex90 in Merino wool); and workwear, where solutions found in the sports field in terms of functionality are transferred to performance in the world of work.
So, the America’s Cup, like so many other competitions that are based on the search for the extreme and the limit of innovation, is a vitally important laboratory for us, not only for sport but for the world of clothing in general,’ Magri concludes.
Matteo Zaccagnino
