San Francisco-based urban technical bag company Black Ember is expanding the use of Cordura re/cor RN66 fabric in its range.

The brand’s adoption of this new performance material has got off to a rapid start with 12 retail doors opening in Japan for the Black Ember Kompak line and the Summer 22 transition of premium duffels Shadow and Forge to new Cordura re/cor RN66 fabrics, as well as the launch of Dex Modular duffel packs featuring a lightweight re/cor RN66 shell. 

Cordura re/cor RN66 fabric employs 100% pre-consumer recycled nylon 6.6 fibre material that is GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified.  In terms of quantifiable benefits, compared to virgin nylon 6.6, it generates 83% less greenhouse gas emissions and uses 82% less energy and 57% less water in production.

“We are proud to be one of the world’s first brands to debut Cordura re/cor RN66 fabric in our Kompak product line,” says Chris Gadway, founder of Black Ember. “Our consumers demand that we own a proven sustainable position, but we design our products to be durable, practical and long-lasting. We were patient in our move to adopt a recycled primary textile because much of what we had seen in the space did not meet our standards for textile quality.  Cordura re/cor RN66 is the right combination of recycled nylon fibre in a textile that can sustain its quality for the life of the pack.

“500D air jet textured (ATY) Cordura re/cor RN66 fabric technology gives us the right combination of weight and strength – lightweight with enough structure to protect and provide good access to the essentials put in a pack, including tech gear such as laptops and tablets. The ATY process provides a non-shiny, matte finish that performs particularly well in our laser cut designs and the overall combination makes for a great fit for the urban consumer wardrobe.”

Gadway founded Black Ember after a career as global creative director at several internationally renowned outdoor and activewear brands and Black Ember’s Kompak collection launched via a Kickstarter campaign in Q4 2021 with immediate international success.

“The emergence of the cross-over lifestyle trend means consumers are seeking to combine their everyday and travel products,” says Cordura business development director Cindy McNaull. “Nowadays, it’s the end user and the situation that changes rather than the pack – whether you’re a tourist with a camera or needing to protect your tablet or tech gear.  

“Black Ember has done a great job of designing into this evolving consumer need. When launching a new fibre, it can often take two to three seasons for fabric developments to reach the brand customer sampling stage, but our Cordura re/cor RN66 is being rapidly accelerated through strong partnerships with both our fabric mill partners and brand customers such as Black Ember.”

www.cordura.com