A Manchester duo has launched a new luxury accessory that can prevent wearers from winter airborne nasties.
Lucy Hope and Karen Seddon of new brand SNOODY™, have been hailed by fashion designers, sustainability experts and scientists for their new genderless apparel.
The brand’s signature piece – an oversized hoody or ‘Snoody’ – incorporates technology by Virustatic®.
The firm was awarded a £150,000 grant to develop sustainable textiles and test virustatic® technology on new circular and biodegradable sustainable materials, by the Business of Fashion, Textiles and Technology (BFTT).
The Snoody – which comes with a £75 price tag – has in-built material that can protect wearers from airborne nasties and incorporates viruferrin® protein technology.
Virustatic® development director Lucy, from Marple Bridge, said: “We were really keen to set up a Manchester brand that would specialise in sustainable luxury pieces but that allowed us to combine our interests in fashion and science.
“Our signature product is unique as it combines 100% certified organic cotton material, which is completely pesticide and fertiliser-free with a lower water footprint than conventional cotton.
“And of course, we’re really proud of the in-built snood, which filters out environmental pollution and airborne nasties through our innovative award-winning technology. The wearer can just pull it up when it’s required.
“Our range offers the perfect balance between luxury fashion, comfort and in-built science-backed technology.”
Karen, who has 25 years of experience in the fashion industry, said the brand was a culmination of British talent, expertise, and innovation.
She added: “Lucy and I have brought together a collective to support our knowledge and expertise to launch something unique. This has been years in the making. We’ve got a game-changing product here that is somewhat futuristic.
“All of our colours and designs are simple as there has been no scrimping on costs. The super soft fabric we use is really superior.”
The brand is based between The Yard at Cheetham Hill and Alderley Park, Cheshire.
Virustatic® is committed to researching and developing renewable, biobased, antimicrobial textile solutions to reduce the environmental burden of harmful chemicals used in the industry.
For more information, visit: https://www.snoody.store/
