The North Face Purple Label's next-generation mountain coat.

There is no doubt that cashmere, with its enchanting texture, and cowhide, with its fine and soft texture, are both precious natural materials. But the times are certainly changing. In today's fashion, the environment cannot be neglected. The North Face Purple Label" has provided a solution to this dilemma. The new mountain coat, featuring the revolutionary Brüde Protein™ fiber, is elegant, functional, and infinitely eco-friendly. This is what it means to be both aesthetically pleasing and environmentally friendly.

Photo_Ryohei Ambo
Styling_Kazuro Sanbon
Hair_Tenju
Make_Suzuki
Illustration_Hisayuki Hiranuma
Text_Keisuke Kimura
Edit_Soma Takeda

How is Brude Protein™ Fiber made?

DNA is like a blueprint that determines the properties of a protein. The DNA is optimized according to whether the material to be produced is wool or leather.

(2) Introduce the designed DNA into the microorganism. The key point is to select a microorganism that can efficiently produce the protein you want to make, and then use a test tube or petri dish in very small quantities to check whether the culture proceeds according to the blueprint.

(3) Microorganisms in (2) are placed in a tank and given a source of nutrients to feed on, which causes them to multiply and fermentation to proceed. Fermentation, by the way, is a process in which microorganisms take in nutrients and create something beneficial to humans. This is the same principle behind the production of beer and cheese.

In this case, the nutrition is sugar derived from plants such as sugar cane and corn, and the product is protein.

4) This is how the granular protein, "Brude Protein™ Polymer," is created.

(5) Dissolve "Brude Protein™ Polymer" in a liquid and push it out gnuously using a device with fine holes like a shower head. Then, "Brude Protein™ Fiber," a thread according to the size of the hole, is completed.