Articles

Solving the Common Problems with Down Jackets! The Specs of Goldwin's Masterpiece "3D Box Baffle Down"

2024.12.17

Down jackets are indispensable for winter cold protection. However, despite feeling warm, have you ever experienced a slight chill inside your clothing? Addressing this issue is Goldwin.

Founded in 1951, Goldwin is renowned for its high-quality, Japan-made products, loved not only in Japan but also in the global outdoor scene. They have developed a new baffle structure and obtained a patent. We spoke with Masahiro Kato, who is in charge of product planning, about this latest technology.

PROFILE

Masahiro Kato

Goldwin Inc. Goldwin Business Division Lifestyle Planning Group MD

Visualizing Functionality in Their In-house Lab & Applying It to Products

You've been making outdoor wear for a long time, but what special attention do you pay to down jackets?

Goldwin currently operates in six categories, including skiing, outdoor, athletic, and motorcycle, as well as the capsule collection Goldwin Zero.

Among these, skiing is an important category. As our brand started with ski wear, we've even provided gear to the national teams of Sweden and the UK in the past. Considering that down jackets are essential for skiing, they are very important items for our brand.

Also, we have a brand called The North Face, which handles outerwear suitable for high-altitude climbing such as the 8,000-meter peaks. Much of the technologies accumulated within the company are reflected in many of our down jackets.

What specific technologies are involved?

Our main office is located in Oyabe City, Toyama Prefecture, and attached to it is an R&D center that includes a tech laboratory. Here, we use artificial rainfall machines to verify water pressure resistance and breathability or test and evaluate material performance under conditions where temperature and humidity are kept constant.

For down jackets, we use thermography and other equipment to visualize data, such as which parts of the body, when warmed, enhance insulation. For example, our research has shown that warming the line along the spine improves heat retention efficiency and makes one feel warmer. Therefore, Goldwin's down jackets typically are designed with insulation concentrated along the spine.

It’s fascinating that they are made based on data. Can you tell us about the background of the newly launched 3D Box Baffle Down?

The trigger was when many team members felt "I'm not warm even though I'm wearing down." As we investigated the cause, a hypothesis emerged that the inner lining not following the body movements when twisting the body creates gaps with the down, allowing air to pass through—a possible reason for feeling cold.

Thus, the development started with the idea that dividing the down into smaller sections might enable it to better follow the body.

Enhancing Insulation by Altering the Inner Lining Length

What specifics are involved in this structure?

The focus was on the length of the inner lining. Generally, including our products, down jackets have been made with the outer and inner fabrics almost the same length, with fill packed in between. This structure often results in the inner lining not following the body’s movements properly, causing the fill to compress and thus failing to utilize the down's fill power and insulation capability.

To solve this, we lengthened the inner lining, creating block partitions and adding tucks or pleats to provide three-dimensionality, enabling the jacket to follow the body’s movements up, down, left, and right, and eliminating cold spots (areas where the down compresses at the seams, letting cold air seep in).

Is the different patterning along the spine designed to warm it, as you mentioned earlier?

Exactly. Human bodies tend to have a forward-shoulder posture. In the outdoor category, for instance, it’s assumed that people will be walking on mountain trails, which tends to tilt the posture forward, making the shoulders lean in more. As a result, the down around the spine can shift to the sides, creating gaps and cold spots. By narrowing the width around the spine, the down is prevented from shifting sideways.

Any other focal points in the pattern design?

In the outdoor category down jackets, the 3D Box Baffle Down is used only in the back and the hood. With its three-dimensional form adding bulk, applying it everywhere would make it bulky and hinder movement.

Additionally, the outer fabric uses GORE-TEX Windstopper, which is lightweight and makes the shape of the down more pronounced, causing the body of the jacket to puff up quite a bit. We struggled to figure out how to make it look sleek while maintaining the 3D structure.

On the other hand, when using an outer fabric with some stiffness, the down doesn’t stand out as much, so we can place it on the front as well. For the lifestyle category down jackets, the back can get too warm for the city, so we place it in a horizontal line and change the 3D Baffle pattern according to the category.

"GORE-TEX 900 Fill Power Down Jacket," 132,000 yen (tax included)

"GORE-TEX Snow Range Down Parka," 99,000 yen (tax included)

Why is down used in the hood for outdoor category jackets?

It's to protect the ears, which easily get cold when wearing a helmet outdoors, and to prevent cold air from entering from the neck.

We use watertight zippers, but wind can still pass through, so we also use down in the front placket to block it completely.

Structure Improvements Reduce Heat Loss by 21%, Increase Warmth by 7%

How much warmth difference does switching to 3D Baffle Down make?

We measured the difference in warmth between regular down fabric and baffle down fabric at our tech lab and found that, with the same amount of down, heat loss is reduced by 21% and warmth increases by 7%.

Our down originally uses recycled or environmentally-conscious feathers, but it can deliver the same warmth with 7% less down, making it an eco-friendly down jacket.

"GORE-TEX Snow Range Down Coat," 121,000 yen (tax included)

Actually wearing it feels lighter and more flexible than it looks.

In the lifestyle category, we also offer down for business casual purposes, featuring photon down that circulates body heat, ensuring you don’t get too hot.

Especially for city use, down can feel too warm in places like trains, but this design prevents overheating even then.

Photon down "GORE-TEX Windstopper Down Parka," 121,000 yen (tax included)

What are the future prospects for down jackets?

We aim to make 3D Box Baffle Down an icon for FW seasons, not just for down but also for padded items. For example, this season at Goldwin Zero, we used 3D Box Baffle Down as the outer fabric and incorporated it into the design.

With recent warmer winters, there may be increasing demand for lighter mid-layer down or items like down shirts. So in the future, we are looking at expanding not just into down jackets but into different item categories.

The high-level craftsmanship of Japan brings a new era of down technology structures that combine design, comfort, and warmth. It will be exciting to see what kinds of items will adopt it in the future.

Text by Junko Hayashida