September 26, 2023, edited by Francesca Sala
Not all products are born as the result of an analysis or market research. And the latest arrival at Silverskin is a prime example.
This is the story of PRIMO, the base layer born from a passion for high intensity.
The idea
PRIMO Thermo Dry Pro was born on a late July 2022 morning, on the slopes of Resegone, a mountain in the Lecco area made famous by Manzoni. As you proceed along the western side, towards Punta Cermenati, the slopes increase, as does the intensity of Andrea's (our CEO) activity, who is testing some products in combination with Silverskin base layers. When he reaches the summit, at 1,875 meters, he feels good in the surrounding environment: no feeling of discomfort. You cannot say the same about his shorts, which are completely soaked.
The first layer in contact with the skin, the base layer, did not betray its promise: to keep you dry, by bringing sweat to the outside, and to guarantee a constant body temperature. How, however, to avoid ending up soaked from the waist down? PRIMO was born in Andrea's mind at that very moment. And it was born from the need of an athlete who is practicing a high-intensity activity.
The weave
A mesh base layer is not new in the sports and outdoor sector, but it becomes revolutionary to the extent that it manages to combine maximum breathability with perfect thermoregulation. Here is how we went from the idea to a finished product with superior comfort.
To increase the sweat-wicking capacity, the yarn processing was completely redesigned: in PRIMO, the compact knit fabric gives way to a wide-weave honeycomb structure, thus achieving a technical mesh design that reveals itself as soon as the garment is worn. The ideal weave to transfer large amounts of sweat to the outside is created, in fact, as soon as the fabric shapes itself over the chest and arms, forming a honeycomb structure, evenly distributed over the surface in contact with the skin.
This particular ability to adapt to the body was achieved with the Smart Fit Tech technology, designed exclusively for PRIMO, and made possible only thanks to the elastic properties of our yarn and the seamless construction technology. The combination of these three factors thus allowed us to create an extremely comfortable close-fitting base layer, to guarantee the necessary contact points to ensure body thermoregulation and, last but not least, to maintain the characteristic Silverskin soft-touch, even after several hours of use.
The development
The first pilot tests carried out on PRIMO prototypes – from those of the people who imagined it to those on the market, in selected stores, passing through athletes of different sports disciplines, including trail running, cycling, and mountaineering – immediately confirmed a greater sweat-wicking capacity and good thermoregulation. As with all our base layers, the hollow-fiber structure of the yarn allows, in fact, to stabilize the body temperature and keep it constant during training sessions, regardless of the outside temperature.
But in a garment with a mesh structure like PRIMO, worked in a completely new way, the real challenge was to find the right size of the honeycomb cells to maximize the garment's thermoregulation performance. After several prototypes and field tests, we identified the optimal size to allow our new base layer to deliver what it promises: maximum sweat-wicking capacity and perfect thermoregulation.
Discover more about PRIMO Thermo Dry Pro, the base layer for the most intense passions.
© photo: Camilla Pizzini