Italy’s UYN Officially Opens Its Academy for Research and Engineering in Apparel and Sport

Marblehead, Mass. (October 16, 2023) – Italy’s Unleash Your Nature (UYN, pronounced “win”) a Trerè Innovation company, today officially opened its new Academy for Research and Engineering in Apparel and Sport (AREAS). Located adjacent to its global headquarters in Asola, AREAS is the company’s research and development laboratory, an academy for scholars and young talents in the textile field, and a creative hub for product and communication design. AREAS is home to the designers and creators of UYN’s bio-based apparel, footwear and accessories.

“AREAS was born out of a dream to create the most advanced research academy in the world within the technical apparel sector,” said Marco Redini, Trerè Innovation CEO. “We not only wanted to create a physical space for ideation, but also, an ideal venue where multiple fields of knowledge from science to design and communication to art can come together. AREAS is setting the path for us to build the future and design what does not yet exist.”

AREAS Special Departments
With an investment of more than two million euros, AREAS is where UYN’s engineers and designers create product with bio-materials and advanced textiles used in the company’s products, subsequently tested via next generation scientific equipment and with its accomplished team of athletes.

Brain Unit
The core of the laboratory is the Brain Unit, a climate chamber (with controlled temperature and humidity) in which athletes and products are tested and, as a result, can have their performance analyzed. The Brain Unit includes a station that studies athlete’s motion and cognitive abilities, neuro-reactive treadmills developed by the Italian company Reaxing, a Titici (a premium handmade bike brand owned by Trerè Innovation, together with UYN) bike station with oscillating platforms, and the thermal robotic mannequin, “Hyper.”

Hyper is the athlete who never gets tired, a “humanoid” capable of reproducing the physiological reactions of the human body thanks to 35 independent thermal zones. Hyper overheats, cools and sweats like an athlete, measuring through hundreds of sensors the breathability and insulating properties of the clothing he wears. This makes it possible to study clothing performance on a scientific basis and receive objective data for comparisons.

The methodology of the tests and the analysis of the results are carried out in collaboration with the CeRiSM (Research Centre Sport, Mountain and Health) of the University of Verona, the fourth ranked sports science department in the world (source: Global Shanghai Ranking).

Arctic & Monsoon Chambers
Providing extreme testing environments, The Arctic Chamber is used to measure the performance of clothing at -20°C and to analyze the distribution of body heat through a thermal camera while the Monsoon Chamber is used to test the impermeability of garments under high-intensity water jets.

Biotechnology Unit
The Biotechnology Unit is the area of the laboratory equipped for research of new bio-materials, mechanical and chemical tests on yarns to be implemented in production, and tests on the final product (abrasion resistance, color fastness, pH of components, resistance to washing, etc.). The rigorous analysis makes it possible to quickly assess the conformity of the products with current regulations and guarantee maximum quality.

Academy and Creative Hub
AREAS is not just a laboratory, it aims to be a meeting place for scholars, scientists, engineers, industrial designers, graphic designers, artists, marketing and communication experts interested in sharing disruptive ideas.

The large open space on the second floor (called ‘Creativity’) is a think tank designed to foster the exchange and generation of ideas for apparel design, footwear design and product storytelling. Through AREAS, Trerè Innovation also activates work and educational programs for young talents and newly graduated students who wish to specialize in the technical apparel sector.

Open to the Public
Trerè Innovation has chosen to make AREAS open to the public. Anyone who wishes can book a tour of AREAS at uynsports.com or areas-academy.com. The tour is structured with interactive experiences enabling visitors to test UYN products and its scientific devices, interact with technicians, designers, engineers and immerse themselves in the UYN world.

Visits also include UYN’s production department, showrooms, logistics with the robotized warehouse and the UYN Flagship Store in Asola. On request, Trerè staff can recommend partner hotels and outdoor activities to extend the stay and test UYN clothing and Titici bikes.

For more information or to book a tour, visit areas-academy.com.