Napapijri, an Italian premium casual-wear brand owned by VF Corporation, demonstrates its commitment to animal welfare with its new Fall/Winter 2017 collection, which includes the innovative Superlight Parka, is 100% down and fur free.

With the Superlight Parka, a new lightweight jacket featuring both down and fur free innovations, Napapijri says it has taken sustainable design to the next level. “The Parka is the culmination of two years of experience embodying the values of the Make it Better philosophy. This mindset embraces product innovation to enable solutions that improve consumers’ lives, while making a meaningful contribution to the world,” the company reports.

“This is just additional proof that the themes of sustainability and respect for nature are, and continue to be, strategic for Napapijri, which has always distinguished itself by its projects linked to the protection of the environment.”

Becoming down free

Since its founding in 1987, Napapijri has embraced product innovations which positively impact our world, as part of the Make it Better programme. Back in 2012, Napapijri began its journey towards becoming fur free. Napapijri first decided not to use fur in its children’s garments and then decided to phase out raccoon dog fur. The ocmpany then continued to monitor its use of fur and looked at eco-fur alternatives which can maintain a high-quality product standard and meet consumers’ expectations. “A key turning point in the story came with the replacement of real fur with a cutting-edge innovative Eco-Fur Kanecaron fibres,” the company explains.

In 2015, Napapijri began its journey to becoming down free. The company developed a down free insulation replacement called Thermo-Fibre. This was initially introduced in Napapijri’s Fall/Winter 2015 outerwear collection, before being rolled out across the Fall/Winter 2016 collection – making 99% of Napapijri products down free.

Today, the Fall/Winter 2017 collection is 100% down free, the company reports. “This was not only a sustainability success story, but also a business one; delivering significant commercial impact and proving that consumers stand behind Napapijri’s commitments on animal welfare and its product innovations,” the manufacturer explains.

Strategic choice

Napapijri’s strategic choice to phase out fur and down is supported by VF Corporation’s recently released Animal Welfare Policy. “At Napapijri, we are sensitive towards animal welfare issues, we are adapting our practices and products accordingly and we are always looking to innovate and make our products better,” commented Kathy Hines, Vice President Marketing, E-Commerce and Strategy VF Corp, Napapijri brand.

“We are very proud to announce that our FW17 is 100% down and fur free. In coming years, Napapijri will continue to research materials and production methods which decrease our environmental impact. We are dedicated to continually improving our production practices and policies in order to ensure that our products reflect our Make it better value.”

www.napapijri.com