Regenerative Wool Gives Apparel Second Life, New Twist

Beringia is bringing Japanese design to technical outerwear in North America. But the most intriguing element may be the brands sustainability score: regenerative wool.

Capitalizing on a cult-like following of Japanese brands,Beringia just launched its performance-based apparel in North America.

The outerwear brand is the brainchild of Bozeman-based Robert Bernie Bernthal and Tokyos Nori Suzuki. Since 2007, the duo has been behind the scenes designing beautiful but functional clothing for exploring outdoors.

Now,Teton Bros. is bringing Japanese textile technology and craftsmanship with a mountain-life twist to America.

The Tsurugi Jacket, an anorak, as well as the Bering Down Jacket, a 1,000-fill hybrid down puffy, will be of interest to design-minded Americans.

Old Wool With Fresh Style

But Beringias immediate standout is itsMasters of Bishu collection, a regenerative wool line the likes of which weve never seen.

Regenerative is a fancy word for wool thats recycled from scrapped clothing. But atBeringia, knitters custom-blend it for a fresh look in central Japans Bishu region, which has been in luxury wool production for 300 years.

Yes, there are other brands upcycling wool already. But the brand goes beyond simply recycling wool.To make regenerative wool, Beringia hand-selects thousands of individual fibers from reclaimed garments. It puts them into the production of all-new textiles. The result is a brand-new garment made of post-consumer fabric.

And according to the brand:

To qualify as regenerative, products and practices should not only be sustainable but contribute meaningfully to improving soil health and the environment; and the services that go into their production must also be life-enabling, not life-destroying. Not just preserving the world, but making for a better world.

The brand leverages recycled wool fibers (70-89 percent of the garments), a special fiber-smoothing bath rather than harmful chlorine, and local specialty spinners, knitters, and finishers to add performance features to the clothing.

The Farallon Plaid Shirt is one example of how the regenerative wool can look in Beringias hands. Another is the waffle-stitch Diomede Merino Wool Snorkel Hoody, a more technical mountain piece.

Most Beringia clothing is unisex, but theres a small womens-specific line. Prices range from $40 for a wool beanie to $350 for an insulated cropped onesie to $500 each for the St. Elias mens ski bib and jacket.

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