Downy fantasies – lighter, brighter, warmer!
It's hard to find a more popular thing in our wardrobe than a down jacket. What is inside the universal jackets, thanks to which down jackets remain light, practical, comfortable, give us comfort and warm us so well in the coldest winter?
Natural filler
Traditional thermal insulation material for winter clothing is the fluff of waterfowl. This is understandable, because it is waterfowl that have the most durable and water-resistant plumage, characterized by excellent thermal insulation properties.
As a filler for down jackets, there are several types of down of waterfowl birds: duck, goose and eider. Duck down is the most common. It became so, thanks to the cheapness of its production. The feathers that make up duck down are tough, so this filler gets into lumps more than others and retains heat worse than other natural heaters. But duck down is not picky - with proper care of the product, such a filler can serve for years.
The most optimal variant of the filler is goose down. Goose down is extracted in natural cold conditions. This means that goose down from Canada, Russia, Poland and other Nordic countries is considered the most valuable raw material. Goose down is affordable and at the same time is of high quality. Such raw materials are an ideal filler for down jackets.
Eiderdown is the most valuable and rare. Such fluff is characterized by a stronger structure, it does not get knocked down by lumps and does not condense. Down jackets with eiderdown filler are piece products, primarily due to their high cost. And all because of the fact that the fluff of the gaga duck is collected by hand, strictly during the nesting period of the bird and only in natural conditions. To collect 1 kg of such fluff, it is necessary to process at least 60 nests of this bird.
Fluff treatment
The fluff gets the final qualities of the insulation due to a whole complex of manipulations. First, the fluff is washed using special detergents. And repeat the procedure several times. This is necessary to remove grease, dust and other contaminants, such as horny scales, sand, etc. In parallel, the raw materials are disinfected to prevent the development of bacteria on the fluff. If this stage is ignored, the down jacket may have a very unpleasant smell, which increases during the wearing process. In addition, the lack of disinfection can cause allergic reactions in the owner of a jacket or coat.
In the process of processing fluff, an antistatic agent is also used, eliminating the electrification of fluff. After drying, the raw materials are distributed using special equipment. The resulting mass is subjected to air purging, which causes light fluff to rise up, and heavy ones to fall down. Then they are mixed for better distribution and diluted with a fine pen. And after all this, the fluff can already be sent to the factory for the manufacture of outerwear.
Modern production
All the necessary stages of selection and preparation of fluff for their future outerwear are carried out by Russian designers in accordance with the approved rules and technologies. A striking example of a modern manufacturer of high-quality and practical down jackets is the Russian outerwear brand AVI, which aims to create products that correspond to the latest fashion trends.
The insulation in AVI products is white goose down. Such fluff has passed all the stages of deep cleaning. Used in down jackets AVI goose down meets the marking of the highest coefficient of elasticity of down Fill Power 900. Down and feather content in down jackets AVI – 90%/10%. This optimal ratio allows you to maintain the structure of the filler and retain heat well.
In the size range of the brand AVI there is a wide range from 40 to 64 Russian size. Additionally, each collection includes models with a size range of up to 72 sizes. The color palette of the brand's collections is the most diverse - the brand AVI says "no" to dark and boring shades! So it will be difficult to remain unnoticed in such clothes on the street. The company's down jackets are trimmed with natural raccoon, black-brown fox and rabbit fur. Rhinestones are used as a decoration. The highest quality, reliable protection from cold and bright color in such down jackets you will definitely become the king and queen of winter style!
Photo:AVI company
Text: Anna Shatokhina