Achieve Sun Umbrella-Level Comfort with Apparel! Spotlight on The North Face’s New Material "BREEZERANGE PRO"

Japan’s summers are getting hotter every year. As UV protection and heatstroke prevention become ever more essential, The North Face’s newly developed fabric, BREEZERANGE PRO, is attracting increasing attention.

This material is truly like a sun umbrella—cutting UV rays while delivering both heat-shielding and breathability.

How was "BREEZERANGE PRO" created, and what kind of technology is packed inside? We spoke with Kazuhiro Iijima, who was involved in the material’s development for the brand.

The goal: "Protection with Clothing"

The North Face has developed clothing for a wide range of activities—trekking, running, camping, and more. Why did they focus on UV-protective material at this moment?

"Until now, The North Face was mostly associated with fall-winter wear, especially down jackets, I think.

However, as an outdoor brand, we have long wanted to create valuable products for spring and summer too."

The key focus became the changing climate of Japan’s summer.

"In recent years, Japanese summers have become abnormally hot—and long. In 2023, summer days with temperatures over 30°C continued from July to September, and the average temperature has been rising each year.

Goods to combat the heat, like parasols and air-conditioned clothing, are on the rise, but we wanted to reinterpret protection with clothing in a distinctive The North Face way."

After a year of development, "BREEZERANGE PRO" was born.

To deal with both intense sunlight and heat, the company leveraged its expertise in mountain outdoor gear to create a material that simultaneously achieves the usually conflicting properties of "heat shielding," "UV protection," and "breathability" at a high level.

Establishing 3 Key Functions Through Material & Weaving Combinations

The focus here is on the heat-shielding function.

"'BREEZERANGE PRO' doesn’t just cut UV rays—it really emphasizes heat-shielding, too.

Specifically, large amounts of titanium dioxide, which provides both heat-shielding and UV protection, are blended into the yarn. This structure makes it difficult for heat from sunlight to penetrate the fabric while efficiently reflecting UV rays."

Because the titanium dioxide is mixed into the yarn itself, these benefits last even after repeated washings.

To guarantee heat-shielding properties, BREEZERANGE PRO is built to proprietary heat-blocking standards.

However, the challenge was that the more you raise heat shielding or the UV cut rate, the more you sacrifice breathability—a classic trade-off.

"If you tighten the weave a lot to increase UV protection, breathability drops and heat gets trapped. Sure, making it mesh increases ventilation, but then the UV protection goes down dramatically.

That’s why we realized we needed a different approach to tackling heat, so we focused on the fabric construction itself."

To solve this problem, the fabric’s structure has been re-engineered.

"Put simply, by slightly offsetting the weave of two layers of mesh, we achieve great ventilation while still cutting UV rays."

This is something The North Face could accomplish because they manufacture and develop their own materials in-house.

The comfort of the material has also been demonstrated experimentally.

"In comparative tests conducted at our own R&D facility in Toyama Prefecture, it was found that, when stationary, wearing 'BREEZERANGE PRO' felt cooler than being 'completely naked.'"

3 Versatile Items for Daily Life & the Outdoors

This collection features two lines: the aforementioned "BREEZERANGE PRO" plus "BREEZERANGE" as well.

The latter, although not built to proprietary heat-shielding standards, still boasts impressive specs with UPF 30-50＋ and over 90% UV cut rate.

Not just the material, but the extensive lineup adapted to various scenes is a big appeal. We asked Iijima to recommend three "BREEZERANGE PRO" items.

The first is a kids’ hoodie.

"Generally, it's said that the closer you are to the ground, the hotter it feels due to factors like asphalt heat reflection.

There’s data showing that around the height of an adult’s waist, roughly 100cm from the ground, feels the hottest—this happens to be exactly the height of many children. I believe these environmental factors at that height contribute to the risk of heatstroke in children.

That’s why we put special focus on developing heat-shielding items for kids, to better protect their health."

"This hoodie is made with BREEZERANGE PRO. Not only does it provide protection from UV rays and heat, but the textured kanoko fabric keeps the material off the skin and remains comfortable even when sweating. Its simple, timeless design also means it can be worn in many ways throughout the season."

The second item is running wear.

"This item also uses BREEZERANGE PRO, and despite being lightweight, it offers UV protection, heat shielding, and breathability, along with deodorizing, antibacterial, and anti-odor treatments. It stays comfortable even when you sweat, making it perfect for summer runs."

The generous silhouette and design that lets you check your watch without rolling up your sleeves also add to the practicality for runners.

The third item is a shirt.

"One standout feature is the special processing applied to the yarn, which gives it a natural linen-like texture even though it’s polyester. The crisp feel resists stickiness, keeping you comfortable all day long—even on hot days."

Expanding Apparel that Adapts to Evolving Climates

The North Face is committed to developing materials and products—like "BREEZERANGE PRO"—that adapt to shifting climate conditions.

"For instance, in fall and winter, with milder winters becoming more common, there’s a growing demand for lightweight items that make it easier to adjust to changing temperatures instead of heavy-duty products like down coats.

That’s why we’re looking to expand our line of products that allow for easier temperature regulation through layering. Moving forward, we aim to continue offering items that improve everyday comfort through 'protection by clothing.'"

With scorching summers now a new normal in Japan, the innovative and functional new material "BREEZERANGE PRO" just might become the new standard for heat protection.