ALLIED is able to provide just about any combination of specifications of conventionally sourced down. We regularly work closely with our partner brands to identify the exact specifications for their desired use. There are limitations on species for fill power and sourcing due to regional animal welfare concerns, but we have always found a solution for every partner.

Almost all duck down sourced by ALLIED comes from China as many of the duck farms throughout Europe engage in force feeding for the production of Foie Gras. However, we do 

In the past 39 years, textile waste in landfills has increased by over 800%.

On average, consumers throw away 80 pounds of textile waste per year, and almost 95% of this waste that ends up in landfills could have been reused or recycled.

Furthermore, diverting just one year of textile waste into a recycling program is the equivalent of taking 7.3 million cars and their emissions off the road.

Virgin down remains an important part of the circular economy, and one of the most sustainable insulations on the planet and is naturally biodegradable. But in looking at ways we can be more proactive in our environmental stewardship practices with our partners, textile waste was one area we felt we could expand upon and build circularity for all our partners.

By working with global recycling centers and developing our own recycling programs, ALLIED now takes old bedding products, apparel and sleeping bags – otherwise destined for the landfill – and is able to reuse the material inside while sending the textiles and trims into their own separate repurposing and recycling streams.

The removed down is cleaned through our DURWASH process the same as conventional material and undergoes rigorous separation processes to create the highest performing recycled down available today.

ALLIED’s RENU:Performance Recycled Down is an insulation with a positive impact on the environment with ALLIED helping to recycle over 1 million pounds of textile waste annually. That’s equivalent to taking over 260 vehicles off the road every year. 

RENU:600 Recycled Down

RENU:700 Performance Recycled Down

RENU: 750+ Ultra High Performance Recycled Down

FEATURES

As textiles push the limits of light weight, dark spots become an increasingly important  issue. 

With a conservative estimation of around 1000 down clusters per gram, even down sourced and traditionally separated to 99.9% white still has the potential to contain at least 1 dark spot per gram.

In a lightweight jacket, this could mean as many as 150 dark spots. 

There remain very limited sources of pure white down (and even those are not completely free of dark spots) so ALLIED has worked with innovative machinists to develop a computerized sorting process that mechanically separates down cluster by cluster, picking out any dark spots. What is left is a pure white down with virtually no dark spots.

All UltraWHT down is processed in the same way as all ALLIED down in our proprietary DuraWash process and sourced from certified farms for animal welfare.

ExpeDRY is ALLIED’s new innovative and disruptive ultra dry down featuring FUZE® technology for a chemical free alternative to hydrophobic-treated down.

ExpeDRY works through a permanent and chemical-free bonding of non- toxic gold particles to the down cluster which aid in the evaporation of water molecules, causing the down to dry faster and stay dry in high humidity and extreme conditions. 

Evaporation is caused through the vibration of the water molecule, which usually happens through the application of heat. The gold particles in the ExpeDRY treatment attached to the down cluster generate a similar “excitement” in the water molecules – without added heat – causing them to vibrate and ultimately speeding up the process of evaporation.

This helps to create a drier insulative chamber as the rate of increased evaporation is greater than the absorption rate of down in almost every real world situation. It also helps with moisture from within such as sweat in high energy activities which could ultimately lead to a more regulated warmth.

ExpeDRY is the future of performance and sustainability for all insulations. 

Features

For products that might require extreme performance in unusual conditions, ALLIED pioneered water resistant down treatments.

The one Achilles heel that down is known for is its ability to perform when submitted to extreme moisture. It is not often that an insulation comes into such extreme contact with water, but even excessive amounts of humidity can wet-out the down, reducing the fill power and losing the ability to retain warmth.

ALLIED’s HyperDRY Water Resistant Down remains among the highest performing, and stands as the benchmark for sustainability in fluorocarbon free hydrophobic down treatments.

The compound in the HyperDRY treatment works the same way as traditional DWR chemicals by building carbon-hydrogen chains on the down cluster to decrease the surface tension, which ultimately causes water to bead and roll off. The difference is that the HyperDRY compound is completely flourocarbon Free

Working closely with our chemical partners, we were able to develop a hydrophobic treatment that could not only provide performance without fluorocarbons, but also allow us to process material more sustainably. Competitors’ treatments rely on additional wash cycles applying the chemistry in a bath, which uses a tremendous amount of water and chemicals. We are able to process our material outside of our processing water supply so we can use far less chemistry, reduce run-off to basically zero and keep from contaminating our water so we can continue to recycle what is used.

FEATURES

It’s about time your insulation works as hard as you do. 

Most insulations can be greatly affected by sudden shifts in the external environment — either overheating when the temperature rises or taking time to warm in sudden drops of temperature.

 “Active” insulations have recently become highly sought after, but most “active” insulations on the market do not perform based on the conditions of the exertion and environment, but are technically “static” insulations meant for active experiences.

Adding infrared reflectivity to the down cluster helps create an insulation that is actively changing in tune with both the wearer and the environment. In our newly developed ThermaDown 02+, as we expend energy from our bodies, it is reflected and returned; and as the external environment changes, excess energy can be reflected to keep from overheating quickly.

Down already has a significantly wider comfort range than synthetic alternatives. ThermaDownO2+ utilizes this range of comfort and down’s ability to warm with minimal weight and combines it with a patent pending technology that coats the down with tiny reflective platelets to provide a full-spectrum infrared reflectivity.

We are essentially combining the efficiency of natural down with the benefits of a space blanket.

As heat from the body is reflected off the platelets, it is converted into energy in an infrared spectrum. This energy interacts with our vascular system and helps us feel warmer and brings more oxygen to our muscles through increased microcirculation. This is why metallic space blankets are so effective for trauma situations. Infrared blankets are also used to help increase circulation in diabetic patients.

ThermaDown allows for greater warmth with less weight, increased thermoregulation, and potential faster recovery through the reflection of energy in this infrared spectrum, creating a truly active insulation that works as hard as you do.

FEATURES

There are times, during long extended stays in cold damp environments, where it is not always an option to keep all your gear dry. In these conditions of constant humidity, it does not take long for fungus, mold and bacteria to build upon damaging the down and reducing its ability to loft. 

Losing loft like this will see a rapid reduction in warmth just when you need it the most. And when fungus and mold set in, it is extremely hard to clean away. 

BioDown works to solve this long-standing problem by incorporating anti-bacterial agents, and is 99.9% effective in inhibiting the growth of mold and bacteria. This will extend the performance of your down through long wet expeditions and significantly increase the overall life of the product.

F X Down™ is a unique, hybrid fill that successfully bridges the gap between down and synthetic products. Allied Feather & down has worked tirelessly to create synthetic fibers that are capable of working successfully with our award winning down. After developing these fibers that possessed the right attributes for blending, we married the two in our proprietary machinery creating a fill that acts and feels more like down while still performing in the wash.

ALLIED’S F X Down™ is completely customizable and built to the exacting specifications of our partners. However, in our testing for warmth, wash durability, compressibility and water resistance, we recommend the following blends.

Working with strategic technology partners, ALLIED has developed an innovative and robust traceability treatment applied directly to the material itself that catapults the world’s oldest insulation into the next century.

Understanding both the need for guaranteed traceability, as well as considering the interactive future of retail, OptiX™ creates assurances through manufacturing and allows brands to create engaging down experiences for their consumers. Impossible to fake, it is the only insulation that is able to verify the traceability and authenticity of a product through the material itself. 

OptiX™ works by small readers reading the reflected color of the unique natural and non-toxic treatment applied to the down during processing. The technology can detect as low as single digit percent blending for a confidence that partner brands and consumers alike that the material expected in each and every product is exactly what it should be. 

ALLIED has also used our Optix technology to create an engaging and immersive retail experience with the iMirror powered by Nobal Technologies. Readers built into the mirror can read the down inside and give any customer trying a down jacket on in front of the mirror all the information they might want to explore about the down inside the garment. 

ALLIED offers some unique down alternative solutions created to mimic the loft and warmth of down. It is an option for those brands who are looking to develop products or certain areas within a product where down might not be the best solution but loft and warmth is paramount. 

Please contact us for more information on availability.