Puffer jackets, with their heavy insulation are great, keeping you toasty in the coldest weather. Problem is, many jackets use synthetic materials for that insulation, which eventually ends up staying in landfills forever or clogging up our waterways. If you want to stay clear of synthetics, you’ll have to settle for duck or goose down, which is great, unless have issues about using animal products. The Pangaia Flwrdwn Short Puffer Jacket offers an equally eco-friendly and cruelty-free alternative.
Instead of the usual insulation materials, the jacket uses a new one called Flwrdwn, which the company has been developing over the last 10 years. A fully-biodegradable and vegan-friendly insulation filling, it’s made using a blend of natural wildflowers and an aerogel biopolymer, making it a more viable option for those who aren’t big fans of existing solutions in the market.
The Pangaia Flwrdwn Short Puffer Jacket is a cold-weather garment that keeps the traditional quilted sections (which hold all the insulation filling) away from the exterior, making it look more like a parka at first glance. Look more closely, though, and you will see what appears to be quilted sections beneath the outer shell, so the overall construction is likely to be similar to traditional puffer jackets – just without the quilted layer on top. Except, of course, it’s got the outfit’s proprietary wildflower filling to keep everything toasty.
No word on how well this thing insulates compared to other materials, but it does look pretty warm when draped on models in the product photos. So yeah, we won’t mind wearing it out this winter. Aside from keeping things toasty, the insulation is also breathable and hypoallergenic, so it should be just as comfortable as any puffer jacket you currently own. According to the outfit, the wildflowers they use are all sourced from sustainable suppliers who contribute to habitat restoration and butterfly conservation, all while using regenerative agriculture methods that don’t require irrigation, making it use up much less resources than traditional farming methods.
The Pangaia Flwrdwn Short Puffer Jacket is made from 100 percent recycled nylon with a lining cut in 100 percent recycled polyester, so the exterior should repel water very capably while keeping things comfortable underneath. It has a mid-weight build that should keep things light when layering during cold weather, while a relaxed unisex fit should allow you to pile on as many layers as you need. Two colors are available: black and off-white, so it’s a pretty basic selection for their initial debut.
As you can tell, it’s not 100 percent plastic-free with the nylon and polyester on board, but using recycled fabrics does mean that it lets them benefit from the technical qualities without using up fresh material. Pangaia, however, is looking to change that going forward, as they’re currently developing new bio-based fibers like seaweed yarn that they hope to use in their future clothing releases.
The Pangaia Flwrdwn Short Puffer Jacket is available now, priced at $550. They also make a long version of the jacket for those who prefer a coat that keeps them covered below the waist.