Global sports brand Umbro will integrate Versarien’s Graphene-Wear technology into its pro-training kit range for the Spring/Summer collection 2023.

The brand and company have been working on several projects since 2018 and this is the first to reach the market. It will see a graphene-enhanced ink formula printed on the inside of key elite pro- training kit garments. The Graphene-Wear formula provides enhanced thermal transmittance and increased moisture management, as well as speeding up the drying rate of the garments. The garments will also carry the Graphene-Wear trademark.

In partnership with the University of Gloucestershire, Versarien has subjected the new technology to extensive wearer trials and its ink formula has also been tested to international standards, resulting in the publication of a white paper aimed at giving partners such as Umbro great confidence in this innovation.

 “Graphene-Wear is a novel technology with benefits for the wearer in terms of performance and comfort,” said Versarien’s CEO, Neill Ricketts. “This technology was developed in Manchester, which is also the home of Umbro. We are very excited to work with a brand with Umbro’s deep-running experience in performance products.”

“As a brand, we are dedicated to constantly pushing the boundaries of our product innovation,” added Colin Lomas, head of global product for Umbro. “In the almost 100 years since Umbro was founded, we have created many world-firsts, such as the introduction of Sportswool and X-Static on football kits in the early 2000s or more recently the use of ProWeave on football boots. This is another major step forward for us and we are pleased that after a long experimentation phase with Versarien, we can now introduce this innovation.”

www.versarien.com