Allied Feather & Down, a global supplier and processor of down within the home and outdoor industries, will kick off a series of global seminars for U.S. vendor partners, retailers and consumers at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in August. The seminars seek to educate users on the natural qualities of down, Allied’s practices and products, and down industry trends.


 


Allied’s decision to host educational seminars was inspired by the unmet demand for additional information on sourcing and procurement practices. In talking to retail and vendor partners, it became apparent that a majority of individuals with a vested interest in down were lacking information on even the basic facts such as the difference between feather and down. As the industry leader, Allied is making it their responsibility to educate vendor partners, retailers, and consumers.


 

“After being approached with many questions on down and on our practices over the years, we have come to realize that there is a lot of confusion in the market place when it comes to down,” said Daniel Uretksy, COO of Allied.  “Most people we have spoken to – from consumer to manufacturer – have limited knowledge on this byproduct beyond the words “fill power.”  Allied is taking initiative to ensure that people are well informed on what’s inside their jacket or bedding that is keeping them warm.”


The seminars will be hosted by Uretsky and may incorporate guest speakers from third parties such as International Down and Feather Testing Laboratory (IDFL),  Textile Exchange,and Control Union.

 


The Allied Educational Seminars will address topics such as: 



  • Down 101: The anatomy of down 
  • Quality: How the down is chosen and how it is tested
  • Innovations in down technologies
  • Sourcing: Where the down is sourced from and how it is collected
  • Traceability: Steps Allied is taking to show where their down is coming from
  • Allied Down and its commitment to the Responsible Down Standard

 

“We just returned from our first educational seminar in Hong Kong which we hosted with IDFL; the event was a huge success,” said Uretsky. “We had triple the attendance we were anticipating. After seeing the value this brought to our audience, we are eager to map out the next stops on this tour.”

 


Allied hopes that the seminars will help to educate users of down and dispel the misconceptions while continuing to lead the down industry by encouraging transparency.


 

The debut of the educational seminars in North America will be held at a breakfast at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, on Friday, August 8. Vendors and retailers interested in hosting a seminar should contact communications manager, Lauren Fallert, lfallert@verdepr.com. 

 

 

Founded in Vernon, Calif. in 1987, Allied has been a processor and supplier of down to brands in the outdoor, home and fashion marketplaces for 25 years.