Enviro-Mental: Holden it Down for Winter

Mikey LeBlanc, SLC, Utah. Photo: Bob Plumb

Mental Notes: Holden The DWR washes on some of Holden’s outerwear are PFOA free (free of fluorocarbons), which drastically reduces the quantities of harmful elements released into the environment. Holden’s new three layer fabric features the award-winning Schoeller® C-Change™ laminate, which is Bluesign® certified, meaning it’s made with eco-friendly processes and meets strict environmental standards. It’s at least as effective as Gore-Tex, and Holden believes it to be a superior product overall. Holden’s products are packaged in fully biodegradable acetate ethylene bags, which take a maximum of six years to fully decompose, even with out sunlight. Holden’s hemp fabric is composed of 55% Cantiva hemp and 45% recycled PET polyester.Holden was also first-to-market with a natural waterproof breathable fabric.

Words: Tom Monterosso

Mikey LeBlanc is a legitimate snowboarding legend, period, from his tenure as a top-notch shredder to his game-changing video parts with Mack Dawg, Kingpin, and Absinthe. A few years ago, Mikey took his industry association to the next level, becoming the mastermind behind Portland, Oregon’s Holden Outerwear. In both business and design, Mikey focuses on fashionable, functional, and earth-friendly clothing. His vision regarding all things winterwear are radical and aimed to satisfy his clientele from the restraining bar on the lift to the après bar in the village. From myriad eco-initiatives, Holden has chosen Cocona™ for many of their garment linings. Cocona is a coconut-shell-based fabric technology that provides excellent evaporative cooling, odor absorption, and protective UV qualities, while cutting down on the wasteful emissions that accompany the toxic coating on most fabrics. To add to that, Holden’s incorporation of a Cantiva™ hemp fabric with a 45% recycled PET polyester mix cooperates with Mother Nature while keeping you dry and on the hill longer. Holden’s products also feature a solvent-free lamination process which reduces harmful effects to the environment during its application, and is also healthier to the workers who are exposed to it during manufacturing.

From myriad eco-initiatives, Holden has chosen Cocona™ for many of their garment linings. Cocona is a coconut-shell-based fabric technology that provides excellent evaporative cooling, odor absorption, and protective UV qualities, while cutting down on the wasteful emissions that accompany the toxic coating on most fabrics. To add to that, Holden’s incorporation of a Cantiva™ hemp fabric with a 45% recycled PET polyester mix cooperates with Mother Nature while keeping you dry and on the hill longer. Holden’s products also feature a solvent-free lamination process which reduces harmful effects to the environment during its application, and is also healthier to the workers who are exposed to it during manufacturing.

Focusing more on quality than quantity, Mikey and his colleagues have embarked upon an ambitious task. Making eco-friendly products with smaller distribution numbers is a tough prospect in this uncertain economy, but Mikey feels that this direction will eventually help the Holden brand and snowboarding as a whole. “The costs would be the time spent researching these previously unavailable fabrics and techniques in the outerwear industry, and time spent on this that is not spent elsewhere takes away from other areas of focus,” says LeBlanc. But Mikey knows that when it comes time to shred, he and Holden are making small but tangible strides to help save our snow. “One overall benefit is that we feel better about our business. We can feel great that some of the largest players in snowboarding followed our lead when we released our award-winning hemp fabric three seasons ago, and are now starting to trickle their efforts on down through the industry.” Mikey and Holden sleep easy and work hard, knowing that their dedication and earth-friendly initiatives will pay off. “It’s our responsibility as a company to do this, and I personally wouldn’t be in this business unless we could do these things,” LeBlanc says. Aside from his reputation as a rider, his words and actions are a testament to the validation for all the hoopla surrounding Holden.

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