The merinoTech - An odorless Multi-Feature Outdoor Jacket

Portance returns to kickstarter: We are thrilled to launch our second crowdfunding campaign, building upon the great success of our inaugural project last year! With the incredible support from backers across the globe, we were able to bring our concept of slow fashion odorless sportswear to life and to introduce the most sustainable anti-odor technology invented to date to the European market. 

This year, we are back with an AWARD-WINNING product that brings a few FIRSTS into the outdoor wear market.

Let us introduce one of the most technologically advanced merino jackets you've ever seen. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail and produced exclusively in the EU, this exceptional piece of activewear seamlessly combines fashionable style with technology-driven design and ultimate comfort.

Feature Highlights

Keeps harmful UV light away from the fibers

Our permanent FUZE™ protection layer breaks harmful UV wavelengths and creates a phase shift outside the harmful range. 

This provides additional protection to the merino fibers and increases the life of the merinoTech. It also prevents color-fading, that usually occurs with strong sunlight while on your outdoor adventures.

Design 

We think that a good design seamlessly combines minimal, eternal looks with smart functionalities. Therefore, we concepted our jacket to host various design features that make the merinoTech your perfect companion no matter where you go or what's the adventure of the day.

Field-tested in multiple weather conditions

We rigorously tested the merinoTech under various weather conditions & during different (outdoor) activities.

• Extreme heat in the Utah desert
• Long hikes with constant weather changes in Arches and Bryce Canyon National Parks
• Gusty winds & rainfall in the Bonneville Salt Flats
• Very dry air and low humidity around the Great Salt Lake
• Long hikes with rain, wind & high air humidity in German forests

Made For

Backer reviews

Join our happy backers across the globe. In our first kickstarter campaign last year, we have managed to deliver 100% of the perks in-time! And we aim to do the same this year. 

Introducing: Stretch Goal

Technology

At Portance, we think the future of (sports)fashion is smart(er) and driven by modern technology. We are among the first brands to integrate the YKK® zipper with TouchLink® technology in a textile product. Powered by NFC (Near Field Communication) technology, it serves as your access point to the digital dimension when tapped with your smartphone. 

Therefore, an NFC chip is encased in a durable molded TPU zipper pull designed to handle the abuses of everyday living. Built to endure a lifetime of laundering, severe weather, and rugged use, the technology is always on, has no moving parts and requires no power source and no additional app on your phone. It works with every modern, NFC-enabled smartphone.

YKK® TouchLink®: Functionality Highlights

To start with, your portance merinoTech vest will bring you the following YKK® TouchLink® functionalities. Scroll down to explore the details. 

• 🤔 LOST & FOUND: Anonymously register your personal details to identify as the product owner. Receive a message triggered by the finder who taps the zipper with YKK® TouchLink® technology and informing you where your lost product is located.
   
• 🫧 WASH & CARE INFORMATION: Say goodbye to the tiny care and washing instructions on physical product labels. With a single tap you can now easily access all necessary information in high-res on your phone screen.  
   
• 💬 DIGITAL SERVICE & CONTACT CHANNEL: It has never been easier to get in touch with portance™. Tap the zipper puller with YKK®'s TouchLink® to access our WhatsApp service chat or simply submit your feedback and questions via the instant feedback forms.
   
• 🔍 TRANSPARENCY & AUTHENTICATION: The zipper with TouchLink® technology acts as a digital product pass that will authenticate your merinoTech Vest as an original portance product to fight counterfeits. It will also give you full supply chain transparency from all of the product's Tier 1 to Tier 3 suppliers.
   
• 🎧 SPOTIFY INTEGRATION: Tap to play your favorite music. Store your own playlists on your zipper powered with TouchLink® technology or access curated ones from our team.
   
• 🏃‍♀️ ACTIVITY TRACKER: As a technology-driven sportswear startup, being active is in our DNA. Now, your portance product helps you to keep track (and safely store) your activities. To motivate. To get better. One tap at a time.

We continue our partnership with FUZE™ technologies to give you the most environmentally sustainable textile treatment technology available. With FUZE™, you don’t have to choose between the environment and fabric benefits. In today's busy life, we understand the importance of staying fresh and odor-free throughout your day or while on your outdoor adventures with limited wardrobe space.

And that is why we added that extra, permanent protection layer. The natural antimicrobial properties of merino wool, combined with our advanced FUZE™ anti-odor textile treatment, work harmoniously to keep you feeling and smelling great, no matter the circumstances.

FUZE is a 100% safe, sustainable and all-natural biostatic textile treatment that inhibits microbial growth in our textiles. As it is non-leaching, it is safe for skin contact. Its non-ionic properties ensure that it does not interfere with cell reproduction. 

Permanent protection

After 10 washes, more than 50mg of the active ingredients of competitive brands were detected in the waste water. No FUZE™ was found in the wash waste water after 10 washes, proving that FUZE remained adhered to the treated material

Saving product & eliminating chemistry-based silver chloride 

• By using FUZE™ instead of a standard silver chloride antimicrobial, we are saving 1200 lbs of silver per 1 million yards. 
• With FUZE™, we are replacing the binding chemistry that silver chlorides use with polymers. This saves an additional 8,000 lbs of chemicals that wash out trying to retain the chemistry. 

Did you know?

Rewards

Color Options

With the introduction of our stretch goal, we are able to offer a second color option for the merioTech in case we reach a minimum of €25,000 in pledges. This will unlock the All Black merinoTech. Please be aware that this was only made possible by the huge support we received so far and not initially planned. Therefore, we most likely cannot deliver the All Black version pre-Christmas and our SuperEarly & EarlyBird pre-Chrtistmas delivery promise is based on the original two-color option. But we are sure you appreciate this as a running project.

Production

Designed in Germany | Made in Europe

We appreciate Europe as our choice of production site. As a German StartUp we love the short distances and the direct, personal contact to our partners & suppliers in the middle of Europe. In order to produce the merinoTech, we formed a partnership to co-develop the product with the Lithuanian knitwear specialist Garlita. Portance is privileged to work with this family-owned, innovative SME business that enables access to a great textile infrastructure, skilled craft workers and a passioned team of professionals, who give shape to our ideas. 

Transparency and an open communication are part of our mission towards a more sustainable and future-proof textile business. Therefore, we are happy to share  our full supply chain, i.e. to transparently inform you where each part of the merinoTech is coming from.

Cruelty-Free Wool

We as a brand have responsibilities. And therefore, we are sourcing our merino wool from a certified, mulesing-free wool supplier in our tier 2. Lanerossi is our supplier of choice. The company is a family-owned wool spinning mill with a rich, 200-year old Italian tradition. 

merinoTech Supply Chain

We have a very good transparency of our textile value chain and are keen to be transparent with you. The world map shows where the raw materials & components for portance merinoTech are supplied and originally produced. 

How we compare

We are aware that you might not have heard of portance before. There are great established players offering merino outdoor jackets. See below how we compare with similar incumbents' products.

Awarded Concept

We are very proud that our design concept is among the winners of the 2023 WORTH partnership project from the European Commission. WORTH is the sole European project where designers, SMEs, manufacturers, and tech providers work together to develop innovative, design-oriented business ideas.

Sizes

For any upfront size-related questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at nowseat@portance.co. Please bear in mind that you will choose your size in our post-campaign survey.

Shipping

As a startup, shipping costs present a fair share of the overall campaign costs. We only produce in small quantities in our European factories and avoid overproduction. Unfortunately, we cannot offer free shipping but are more than happy to offer worldwide backers the pledge opportunity.

We aim to cap the shipping costs at the below rates. These rates might improve along the campaign the more backers we get. We will keep you updated throughout and after the campaign. Please remember that shipping costs are not included in the pledge and will be collected extra via our post-campaign survey. 

Timeline

Behind the Scenes

The journey of developing and preparing this campaign has been nothing short of a labor of love. Countless hours of design ideation, prototyping, FUZE testing, campaign planning and refining every aspect of the merinoTech finally led to this exciting point. While the hard work behind us has been intense, we've also enjoyed every moment of it. We have grown with every new challenge along the way.

In the portance value of transparency, we're excited to share some behind-the-scenes materials, giving you a glimpse into the passion and dedication that fuels "Portance."

Team & Acknowledgements

By supporting our campaign, you not only become part of a global community that values fashion technology innovation, functional comfort and style but also contribute to a more sustainable and responsible fashion industry. We are excited to have you join us on this journey.

Stay tuned for updates, stretch goals, and exclusive rewards as we embark on this crowdfunding adventure.  many people have helped me in making this campaign a reality. Here are just a few I'd like to personally mention.

Rita, Laura & Kurt from Garlita. Without you, there would not be a portance knitwear product. Thank you so much for your kindness and collaborative openness right from the start. Andrew from FUZE: The portance brand would not be as is without your help and support from day one. I appreciate everything you have done for me. And thank you to the whole FUZE team. Monika, your creative ideas and outside-the-box thinking are a true asset. Ben from Imero. You and the whole team have done an amazing job in bringing our product to life. And sorry for being such a pain with all my individual requirements. Andreas from YKK. Thank you for pushing hard so that we as a startup brand can bring a TouchLink product to market. The creative minds of VeyVey for bringing in a fresh perspective into a crowdfunding video. Of course Lukas. Thank you that you are part of portance and a good friend. And of course my family, mom, dad and Jana & Kay, Nikola. Your support means the world. 

Thank you! // dom