Main Story. 10. 26.

Could Houdini’s Power Houdi be the most worn outdoor piece of clothing?

Research has revealed the Power Houdi is, on average, worn 1,287 times by its owner.

Houdini represents innovation, progression, and sustainability. A triad of fundamentals which fit so perfectly with Polartec’s purpose we’ve been friends for 20 years.

Two decades ago, Houdini approached Polartec with the ambition of creating the perfect technical mid layer. They came to the right people. By combining the fabric engineering expertise of Polartec Power Stretch® Pro™ with Houdini’s timeless eye for design, the Power Houdi was born. Twenty years later it remains one of their most popular and long lasting items of clothing, good for more than ten years of outdoor wear.

<center>THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY</center>

Based in Sweden, Houdini is a progressive thinking outdoor company focused on pushing the boundaries of the outdoor industry and the products it manufactures. It works closely with its customers to encourage a circular economy including repairing, recycling, reusing and even renting its high-tech outdoor wear.

An attitude which is epitomised in the Power Houdi. Research has revealed the Power Houdi is, on average, worn 1,287 times by its owner. A stark contrast to the fast fashion and throw away cultures we are all trying our hardest to affect.

Over the last 15 years, the amount of clothes produced globally has doubled, resulting in 100 billion garments being stitched and sold each year. Even more worryingly, during the same period, the time we actually wear those clothes on our bodies has halved. The result is three fifths of what we wear ending up in landfills or being incinerated within a year of it being made.

Instead, choosing to invest in clothing which you can wear hundreds, if not thousands of times, is the way forward.

<center>DESIGN PHILOSOPHY</center>

Houdini prides itself on minimalistic design inspired by nature that’s led to this ‘less is more’ outlook – both for their design philosophy and the overall philosophy of their business. Creating a smarter wardrobe for outdoor enthusiasts that lasts for years. They believe that if you make better clothes, people will want to wear them for longer. It’s a simple idea that works. Most recently they have added the Houdini Repair service to further extend the wearable lifetime of their clothing.

Polartec Power Stretch Pro is manufactured from at least 50 per cent recycled P.E.T. plastic. These elastic fibres create a four way stretch fabric to meet the demands of outdoor wear with a low-friction finish to reduce abrasion. This durability increases the lifetime of the Power Houdi reducing the ‘bag out’ effect when a fabric has overstretched so far that it cannot recover.

We are proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Polartec and Houdini this year. Eva Karlsson, CEO, Houdini Sportswear tells us: “We cannot compromise with performance or comfort. We need to make products that people fall in love with and stay in love with. Clothing that promotes longevity”.

“Polartec Power Stretch Pro is a well-loved, iconic fabric and one of the world’s finest technical mid layer fabrics,” says Karen Beattie, Director of Product Management at Polartec. “It goes the distance in terms of longevity with its highly durable, nylon exterior. But more importantly, it has great “want to wear” credentials. Its activity-enabling stretch, high breathability, cozy warmth, and softness, and forever good-looks make it a perfect choice for all life’s adventures”.