Brand Focus – Pyrenex

Pyrenex is a French clothing company specialising in the use of down and feathers. Founded in 1859 the business has passed down through the Crabos family for over 150 years. Since then they have continuously produced the highest quality down products available.

The History

Abel Crabos – now the great grandfather of the company – started the Pyrenex movement by collecting feathers from markets and farms around his village, in the foothills of the Pyrenees. His son Rene quickly joined the family business in the 1860s. During World War II Rene’s wife Marie produced the first down jackets, to protect prisoners from the cold.

In 1960 the third generation of the Crabos family took the reins. They began developing the first bedding using down and feathers. By 1968 the first sleeping bag was created, and the name Pyrenex became the official brand of the company.

Pyrenex then began expanding into mountaineering jackets, and developed the first ever mountaineering jacket during the 1970s. The jackets were essentially technical garments, designed to protect and insulate the wearer in the most extreme conditions.

The 1980s saw Pyrenex move from the snowy mountain tops to the streets. They began manufacturing brightly coloured jackets, developed for every day wear. From here Pyrenex started to move further into the fashion industry, and started to develop other products like gilets, jumpers and hoodies.

In 2009 the most recent brand of Pyrenex was created: Pyrenex Premium. This is marketed as a luxury collection of urban jackets that combine glamour and high-tech design. The Premium brand is spearheaded by French designer Alexandre Vauthier, after leaving his post at Jean-Paul Gaultier to expand his solo designing career.

The Feathers

The feathers and down that Pyrenex now uses in all their products are naturally produced by geese and ducks. These come exclusively from the best goose and duck breeders in Aquitaine, Poitou and the Pyrenees in France.

The combination of feathers and down which Pyrenex uses gives their products their durable, unique shape and feel. Smaller feathers are curved to provide firmness, shape and bounce, which when paired with down – which is more light and flexible – provides heat and insulation.

Before any of the feathers or down are used in the products, it is all extensively sorted, washed, dusted, dried and sterilised. This ensures that only the finest material is used in the jackets.

Now, Pyrenex sells jackets in a huge selection of designs and styles. Three of their most famous ranges being Heritage, Sport and Iconic. These jackets range from the lightweight, everyday jackets sold in the Heritage range, a slightly more durable range in Sport, and their most high-tech jackets in the Iconic range, developed for extreme climates and expeditions.

Mainline Menswear stocks a large collection of Pyrenex jackets. We include both everyday jackets and more developed, high-tech jackets, so you can find something for the winter in England, or a trip up a mountain. Visit our website here to shop our extensive range.