Award celebrates ExOfficio’s ideal sweater solution for urban travelers

At drirelease, innovation means optimum performance with maximum comfort. Seeking to honor far‐reaching solutions in performance apparel, Optimer Brands – the parent company of drirelease – has announced ExOfficio® as the winner of its 2016 innovation award. Showcased at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market event in Salt Lake City, Utah, the award celebrates innovation in the design and construction of active wear that promotes the comfort of wearers.

The variety of men’s Teplo™ and women’s Milena™ performance sweater styles from ExOfficio offer the perfect layering item for urban travelers, keeping them protected while looking fashionable. Traditionally, travelers have had to choose between performance garments designed for outdoor activities, which lack style, or garments with the right style aesthetic, but missing the performance qualities needed to keep them comfortable and protected from the elements.

“On behalf of drirelease, we are honored to present ExOfficio with the 2016 Innovation Award,” said Ashwin Jaju, General Manager of drirelease. “For more than a decade, we have been an innovation partner with ExOfficio, and are proud to provide support and collaborate on their best‐in‐class products, like these travel performance sweaters.”

"We knew we wanted to offer high-quality technical performance sweaters in our new urban travel collection because they could provide the protection of an outdoor performance piece, but with a polished look and feel that will give travelers a sense of confidence and style," said Johanna Rundquist, design materials manager for ExOfficio. "It was a unique proposition that became a reality thanks to the collaboration with drirelease, and our retailers are thrilled with the result."

Winners are selected and announced twice yearly by the drirelease team, based on a review of new or enhanced active wear products, featuring drirelease, across hundreds of global brands. drirelease congratulates these global brands – and their design and product development teams – working together to achieve greater performance through innovation.

About drirelease®


For brands seeking far‐reaching performance apparel solutions, drirelease is more than an ingredient. We bring the engineering, fresh insights, practical know‐how, and global capabilities together that help the performance apparel industry design for long‐term success. Founded by a group including former Dupont scientists who shared a passion for advancing textile technology, drirelease was launched as a patented blend of fibers that delivers superior wicking and fast‐drying capabilities.

With headquarters in Chicago, drirelease today is a global solutions provider, thanks to early development of a worldwide network of top suppliers and mills. As a product division of Optimer Brands, drirelease continues to focus on developing new fiber technologies and fabrics that appeal to the sophisticated design requirements of the world’s top brands while exceeding consumer expectations for comfort, fast drying, temperature regulation and odor control. 

About ExOfficio^®

ExOfficio believes that the magic of travel, whether you seek different cultures, epic scenery or the thrill of the unknown, is a chance to create perspective and vitality by opening your mind to the wonders of the world. Since 1987, ExOfficio has celebrated the traveler by crafting garments that allow one to experience the world unhindered. Intelligently designed products with tangible benefits—including the best-selling Give-N-Go® underwear collection and lightweight, wrinkle-free fabrics with bug, sun and water protection—are focused on one goal: comfortable performance. ExOfficio is sold internationally, online and in specialty outdoor and travel stores, including five of their own flagship stores in the U.S. For more information about ExOfficio, visit www.exofficio.com.