Meet Our 2022 Winners
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This Award celebrates the very latest in innovation powered by Polartec fabrics. Our 12 winners show insightful design, creativity and, in some cases, new solutions to everyday challenges.
OUR AWARD-WINNING PRODUCTS
Our 12 Apex Award winners were selected from hundreds of entries showcasing skilled and creative uses of Polartec fabrics.
Now it’s your turn! Do you have a favorite Apex Award winner? Our People’s Choice Award is your chance to make your voice heard. Tell us what you think by clicking below to place your vote.
The MTN Guide MW Hoody is a performance mid-layer that manages the delicate balance of warmth, breathability, and moisture. Using different weights of Polartec® Power Grid™, the garment removes the bulk for a better fit and increased breathability in high-heat areas. Adding of an innovative Polartec® Power Wool™ internal neck gaiter provides custom-tuned warmth that can be easily used with the hood up, down, or tucked out of the way when not needed. Due to Polartec Power Wool’s unique bi-component construction that combines the properties of both natural and synthetic fibers, you get the ultimate next-to-skin fabric performance.
An incredible convergence of design, inspiration, and upcycling innovation blends seamlessly between vintage millet styling curated with deadstock Polartec® 200 Series Recycled Fleece and Element’s artistic touch in this cozy collection. Millet and Element’s teams breathed new life into leftover fabrics, creating a unique color-blocked look while providing unparalleled comfort and warmth. With greater resiliency, lightweight, warmth and fast dry times, Polartec fleece remains the industry standard for outerwear performance since its inception in 1981.
Built for super rugged conditions, the L.I.M series Z|T is a truly synchronized layering system that challenges the common perception of expedition gear. This versatile new approach to layering elevates the “less is more” wisdom, utilizing a combination of Polartec® Alpha®, Power Air™, And Power Dry® technologies. Through meticulous design and a selection of innovative Polartec fabrics, the pieces supply outstanding functionality when worn individually. But true ingenuity shines when they are combined. According to Haglofs, this layering system produces an average of 30% less humidity when compared to conventional systems. The result: reducing the feeling of being too hot or too cold and keeping body temperature stable through a wide range of activities and intensities.
Constructed from Polartec® Power Dry®, a superiorly advanced next-to-skin moisture management fabric, the super versatile Pace Flow Houdi offers high insulation, low weight and exceptional breathability. The open mesh fabric allows air to flow through and vents out any excess heat or moisture and, when used in a layering system, it will encapsulate a powerful layer of warm air – akin to the new generation of Polartec® Power Air™ fabrics – that provides an exceptional level of insulation and thermal efficiency, creating the perfect microclimate for fast-paced activities.
*available February 2023
An ideal blend of style and performance, this modernly designed fleece tunic features Polartec® Thermal Pro® for core body warmth, is highly durable, and resists pilling. With technical fiber compositions that maintain a soft texture and air pockets for thermoregulation and breathability, Thermal Pro® advances lowercase fleece fashion with premium yarns for a cozy, resilient, and stylish finish. The thin and soft Toga tunic can be worn as an outer layer or an insulating intermediate layer under a shell without added bulk.
Dead quiet, low-sheen, and highly wind resistant, the first-of-its-kind printed Polartec® Wind Pro® fleece hunting jacket is versatile as an early-season outer layer or a late-season mid-layer. It achieves high-level protection without a noisy windproof membrane, ensuring unrestricted breathability for maximum comfort. Engineered with a compact knit surface structure for up to 4x greater wind resistance than regular synthetic fleece, Wind Pro adds brawn to deflect the elements while still maintaining soft comfort and lightweight warmth.
Designed for an active lifestyle with a retro inspired mountaineering silhouette, these ripstop hooded jacket & shorts are made with a windproof lining and hydrophobic Polartec® Alpha® that regulates warmth and provides exceptional breathability. Alpha continuously releases excess body heat before it builds, an adaptive quality made possible through Alpha’s lofted fibers connected to a solid mesh core. This active insulation resists all moisture, is incredibly fast drying, and is highly compressible, making it the ideal piece on and off the mountain.
Reimagining the esteemed cardigan silhouette as a high-performing technical garment, Nonnative’s cardigan utilizes Polartec® Alpha Direct fabric providing warmth while continuously releasing excess body temperature to maintain comfort and coziness. Alpha® Direct active insulation technology allows for direct contact with skin and other fabric layers due to the refining of the shape and size of its lofted fibers. This new design ability not only increases breathability performance but also expands versatile style options. Japanese label, Nonnative, has gained a following for its fresh takes on traditional American workwear with upgraded contemporary, upgrading them with contemporary fabrications to blend practicality and style, an approach that gained attention through it’s inventive utilization of Alpha Direct.
Designed for cyclists, this innovative mid-layer featuring Polartec® Alpha® Direct fabric transfers moisture with breakaway speed, keeping riders dry and comfortable throughout a wide temperature range. This extremely lightweight, packable, insulative, and thermoregulating garment has unparalleled breathability and drying times. By refining the shape and size of its lofted fibers, Alpha Direct active insulation continuously releases excess body heat before it builds, reducing the chance of saturation and discomfort. Since it’s hydrophobic, it resists moisture and dries incredibly fast for unparalleled performance and versatility.
A revolutionary new garment designed for gravel cyclists seeking protection from cold and wind, the pack vest combines a unique version of Polartec® Alpha® with wool for superb moisture management properties and natural thermoregulation. Alpha® active insulation is engineered for consistent warmth while allowing for greater breathability and fast during activity, maintaining a highly packable, low-weight structure – all critical benefits for year-round, all-weather cyclists.
Applied for the first time in a trail running shoe, Polartec® Windbloc® provides water resistant, breathable, and comfortable protection for seriously gnarly conditions in the Ribelle Run Kalibra G trail shoe. Designed for mixed terrain and extreme conditions, the shoe’s gaiter is constructed with a unique Polartec polyurethane membrane that defends against the harshest elements of wind, water, and cold temperatures while still allowing moisture vapor to permeate outside for maximum comfort and breathability.
This versatile technical softshell jacket incorporates a unique combination of two Polartec-powered fabrics and one enhancing technology. Designed as a midlayer for advanced technical pursuits, the Centurion is forged with Polartec® Hardface® technology and fused at the fiber level to increase abrasion resistance and water repellency without compromising breathability. In addition to the resilient exterior, it also includes Polartec® Power Stretch® for ease of movement Polartec® Power Air™ captures air to retain body heat in cool environments. Designed as the ultimate all-mountain piece, the Centurion is perfectly suited for a diverse range of outdoor disciplines.
