Kora, a pioneer of using Yak wool in performance apparel, announced the launch of its Yushu collection of base layers, providing warmth, softness and breathability with added core-spun panels for strength and durability in high-wear areas.
Kora’s Hima-Layer Yushu fabric is knitted using 60 percent premium Yak wool with 40 percent superfine Merino (18.5 microns certified mulesing-free) and comes in at 240 grams per square meter.
With the Yushu collection, Kora has “created an ultra-breathable fabric that has a wonderfully soft hand for everyday skin-fit comfort and provides Yak wool’s exceptional Himalayan-born warmth. Kora designs and tests all of its own Hima-Layer fabrics, and has been developing high-performance yak wool base- and mid-layers since 2011,” said the brand.
“We’ve been working on the Yushu fabric for three years because we had to be absolutely sure it met the standards of our other Hima-Layer fabrics, and we’re extremely proud of the new collection,” said Kora founder, Michael Kleinwort. “As a natural performance fiber, there’s simply nothing that outperforms Yak in terms of breathability and thermoregulation, and Yushu is designed to be the essential base layer that meets the needs of anyone from the most demanding athletes to those working from home.”
The Yushu Collection is named after the Himalayan home of Kora’s Yaks—the Yushu prefecture sits at 4800ms/16,000 feet of altitude on the Qinghai Tibet plateau.
The collection launches with styles for men and women, including long-sleeve tops, leggings and men’s shorts, and a hat and neck gaiter. All styles come in black and feature corespun merino textile (a nylon yarn wrapped in merino) to increase durability in high-wear areas such as the crotch and the under-arm. All seams are manufactured with an overlock and triple step zig-zag stitching for a flat, strong finish.
The pieces in the Yushu collection are finished at the cuff with a colored woven tape inspired by the colors of prayer flags and the terrain of the Himalayas.
The benefits of Yushu’s Yak and merino combination include:
- Exceptionally warm in very cold weather, yet cool and comfortable during intense exercise;
- Breathable and draws moisture away from the skin;
- Naturally odor-resistant, so you can wear it for days at a time and pack light;
- Soft and itch-free;
- Natural stretch that flexes as you move;
- Built-in 40+ UPF sun protection; and
- Machine washable with fast drying time.
For more product information, go here.
Photos courtesy Kora
