Much was expected of milkweed, a superbly insulating, light and hydrophobic fiber. We have seen the Quebec company Quartz Co. offer high-end city coats. And then, nothing more. The companies involved in the production of this insulation have given up or gone out of business altogether, and the milkweed has disappeared from radar screens.
But now small businesses have quietly taken up the torch and are concocting clothes that might appeal to outdoor enthusiasts. Lasclay relies on pure milkweed padded mittens as Atypic Equipment completes the design of insulated coats and jackets with a blend of milkweed, kapok and PLA (polylactic acid), a bioplastic synthesized from starch of corn.
“During my baccalaureate, entrepreneurship attracted me a lot,” says Atypic founder Antoine Bolduc. One day, I discovered the milkweed, its history with Chlorophyll, Quartz and other players in the field. I saw its potential in the outdoors. Myself, I love nature, especially that of Quebec. I wanted to be able to use milkweed in my own activities. ”
From weed to treasure
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ATYPIC EQUIPMENT
Atypic Equipment targets the outdoor world with its insulated coats and jackets.
Milkweed is a plant that has long been considered a weed. However, a few years ago, it was realized that the silky fibers found in its pod have insulating and hydrophobic properties. A small sector has been set up to market this product. But now, the company at the center of this movement, Protec-Style, went bankrupt in 2017 and the industry fell apart.
“In part, it’s due to the fact that it started out too big: we already saw ourselves as the new Gore-Tex,” says Gabriel Gouveia, co-founder of Lasclay. It was a very laudable approach, but we have a different approach: we start small. ”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LASCLAY
Gabriel Gouveia, co-founder of Lasclay
Lasclay thus chose a very simple, relatively inexpensive product: the mitt. “In Quebec, there are a lot of people who have cold hands and who are ready to pay a certain price to stop feeling cold,” says Mr. Gouveia. For us, this is an opportunity to make the benefits of milkweed known to as many people as possible and to make it fans. ”
As this is a small product, it is possible to make a “fairly substantial” production in a small workshop, located in Beauport.
Lasclay differentiates itself in another way. The first milkweed users chose to integrate the milkweed into a kind of membrane. “This is the way of doing things in textiles,” explains Mr. Gouveia. The problem is, it requires diluting the milkweed, mixing it with something else. The other problem is that when you cut irregular shapes, like mitten rings, you have up to 30% loss. ”
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LASCLAY
Lasclay makes padded milkweed mittens.
Lasclay therefore decided to directly pad his mittens with milkweed, but still do a little quilting to keep the fiber in place.
Looking for solutions
Padding larger pieces of clothing, however, would be more of a problem. This is how small companies, like Eko-Terre, which are still extremely discreet about their plans, and Atypic have chosen the membrane technique.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ATYPIC EQUIPMENT
Atypic begins manufacturing insulated coats and jackets with a mixture of milkweed, kapok and corn fiber.
For Antoine Bolduc, using three types of fibers, milkweed, kapok and PLA, improves product performance.
Kapok and corn starch have virtually the same properties as milkweed, but these fibers are easier to handle and less volatile. It welds the insulation, it allows us to facilitate production and reduce costs.
Antoine Bolduc, founder of Atypic
Despite all its qualities, milkweed has one major flaw: fine dust that infiltrates everywhere, especially in machinery. “You can easily lose control and have too much dust,” says Bolduc. This is the reason why companies no longer wanted to work with people in the milkweed industry: the dust made it impossible to give good conditions to employees. ”
Milkweed is a very finicky fiber, he argues. “It is a very fragile product, it must be treated in an almost artisanal way to be able to use it. ”
Atypic and Lasclay are each working on their own on extraction processes that reduce dust.
Lasclay is now in its second year of production. Last year, she made 1000 pairs of mittens. This year, she is aiming for 1,500 to 2,000 pairs. It offers its mittens online only, in particular to keep the price of the product as low as possible. In stores, this price should be increased considerably to take into account the retailer’s profit margin.
“We’re trying to democratize milkweed, but it’s still a high-end product,” says Mr. Gouveia. Not everyone can afford a pair of mittens for $ 100. ”
For its part, Atypic provided funding through Kickstarter to launch the activities. In less than 24 hours, the small business raised $ 30,000. “It made it possible to finalize the purchase of the raw material, pay salaries and start production,” enthuses Antoine Bolduc.
He hopes to see the first coats make their outdoor appearance by the end of November.
Visit Lasclay website Visit Atypic Equipment website
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