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Klättermusen – Jackets Made From Beans

I love beans. Whether they be kidney, haricot or coffee, there’s always a place in my kitchen cupboard/stomach for something bean-based. Judging by the email I received from my mate Eric at Swedish brand Klättermusen, it seems my fondness for beans is about to grow even stronger.

Avid followers of nice coats and bags will have noted the emergence of Klättermusen at Oi Polloi earlier this season, but the brand has been going for years. I was fortunate enough to do a little project with them in early summer, for which I had to learn about lots of technical stuff and get myself familiar with Old Norse culture. They’ve got it all spot on, the Swedes.

By their own admission, Klättermusen are sometimes a victim of their own imagination. Many innovations and pioneering developments in outdoor clothing and baggage manufacture can be traced directly back to Åre, the Swedish mountain town in which Klättermusen is based. Being ahead of the curve is nothing to be ashamed of though, even if sometimes you’re too far ahead. As a brand which has the future of the planet at the forefront of its mind at all times, recycling forms a big part of their general practice. In fact, their quest for the most environmentally-friendly clothing leaves no stone unturned.

Working closely with long-time Japanese collaborator Toray, Klättermusen have managed to squeeze out the use of crude oil in the production of polyamide, in favour of something a little more organic. We’re not sure how they’ve managed to do it, nor would we understand if it were explained to us, but basically instead of plain old normal oil (which is apparently used to create this type of nylon), they’ve managed to extract loads of oil from castor beans. The quest to replace like for like in 100% entirety is well underway. For now, 60% of the oil used in production comes from beans, which is pretty mad, not to mention really impressive. We might not usually give much thought to this kind of thing, but that’s fine, because Klättermusen give it more than enough thought for everyone.

The first tranche of products which use this futuristic, conscientious new fabric come in the shape of the Bore 2.0 Jacket (an ace asymmetrical number which is named after the Norse King of Winter), the Atle Jacket and Vest (a very clever and lightweight down jacket/vest), Heidrun 2.0 Shorts (down filled short trousers, yep, they’re a thing), Liv 2.0 Sweater (a down top which is named after another hardy character in Norse mythology).

With a little snow predicted in our mild English winter, now is a good time to start paying attention to Klättermusen, the brand that uses beans keeping you toasty.

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Mark Smith

I had pizza for tea.

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