German fashion brand Armedangels and its 100% Tencel Lyocell windbreaker feature on American magazine TIME's list of the best inventions of 2026, in the outdoor category. Each year, TIME selects 300 inventions based on criteria such as originality, effectiveness, ambition and impact. For this edition, the magazine sought nominations from its editors and correspondents around the world, as well as through an online application process.
Armedangels, founded in 2007 in Cologne, developed the jacket in collaboration with the Lenzing group, textile consultancy Montebelo and weaving company Hermin Textile. According to the brand, this is the first windbreaker with an outer ripstop fabric woven entirely from Tencel Lyocell wood fibre, without a membrane, synthetic fibres or PFAS. The jacket is made from Lenzing's Tencel Lyocell fibres, sourced from certified or controlled wood and produced using a closed-loop process in which the solvent is recovered.
« Pour les vêtements outdoor fonctionnels, l'industrie dépend encore presque entièrement du polyester, du polyamide et des finitions chimiques », says Martin Höfeler, founder and chief executive of Armedangels. « C'est pourquoi nous avons commencé par une question simple : un tissu fabriqué à partir de bois peut-il faire ce qui nécessite habituellement des matériaux synthétiques ? »
A detailed manufacturing process
In Taïwan, the fibres are spun into ultra-fine, resistant yarns, which Hermin Textile then weaves into a dense ripstop fabric, densified under pressure and heat. On contact with moisture, the lyocell fibres swell slightly, which tightens the weave. A PFC-free finish protects against light rain; the jacket is slightly water-repellent, but not waterproof.
According to Lenzing, this manufacturing process requires at least 50% less water and generates at least 50% fewer CO₂e emissions than unbranded conventional lyocell. The components are also, as far as possible, free of synthetic materials: 99.9% of the trims are non-synthetic and not derived from petroleum. The windbreaker notably incorporates a cotton zipper with metal teeth, metal cord stoppers, cotton and natural rubber cuffs, and a water-based reflective print. Only a small final piece of the zipper remains plastic, for lack of a sufficiently sustainable alternative.
Digitally designed with CLO3D, the windbreaker has a gender-neutral cut and is available in three colourways. Armedangels regards this jacket as a « proof of concept » and as a basis for developing further outdoor garments without synthetic fibres.
