Nutley-based Modern Meadow and Earthletica, an Australia-based company focused on sustainable and high-performance activewear, on Friday announced their collaboration on the Bronte Jacket, named in recognition of competitive swimmer and dual Olympic gold medalist and world champion Bronte Campbell.
Campbell will be showcasing the jacket, which features a breathable, waterproof membrane as while competing at the 2024 Australian Olympic Swimming Trials, which are being held this week to determine who will participate in the Paris Olympics.
“At Earthletica, we are committed to creating activewear that not only looks and feels good, but also supports a healthy planet,” Campbell, co-founder of Earthletica, said. “Modern Meadow’s focus on innovation and sustainability aligns with our ethos to embrace technology to achieve sustainability more meaningfully than any other brand across our entire product line, and I see this collaboration on the Bronte Jacket as the start of a long-term relationship to achieve other ‘world firsts’ together, even after the Olympics.”
The Bronte Jacket incorporates the Bio-Alloy Shield membrane, which is PFAS/PFC- and solvent-free and delivers high performance in any outdoor conditions. PFAS, sometimes referred to as highly fluorinated chemicals, can be found in many consumer products due to their oil-, stain- and water-repellent properties. Bio-Alloy Shield is just one of several applications Modern Meadow developed through its Bio-Alloy platform — a proprietary system that combines select proteins with bio-based polymers to produce a variety of materials that are much more sustainable than their conventional counterparts while offering comparable or better performance.
“Collaborating with Earthletica on the Bronte Jacket exemplifies our resolve to create a more sustainable future through biomaterials,” David Williamson, president and chief operating officer at Modern Meadow, said. “We see performance and sustainability as an Olympic sport. Just like athletes train to win gold medals, we are constantly researching and innovating to find real-world solutions to the fashion industry’s environmental challenges.”
