The small Swiss company Penguin has been producing a small range of functional powder clothing for a few years now - by powder junkies for powder lovers, so to speak. Following the motto 'We focus on the essentials', Tristan, Ben and Claudio (the core of Penguin) are trying to take an (as yet) unusual path in the textile industry. An important feature of their sustainability philosophy is to produce the most robust, no-frills products possible with the lowest possible consumption of finite resources and to get the whole thing to the customer with the shortest possible transportation routes. Part of the idea is also a certain amount of care and a comprehensive repair service to keep the products on the market for a long time (Penguin Care).
The onion or layering principle is well known and also forms the core of Penguin's product range. We don't need more than three layers for powdering, so only one product is produced for each of the three layers with a few different colors. In the words of Penguin: "We believe in simplicity and purity to avoid confusion and overconsumption. The function per layer varies. The promise for quality remains." There are also a few useful and stylish accessories in the Penguin shop. That's it - that's all we need for a successful powder day!
Years ago, we at PowderGuide had already decided not to have PG hoodies, PG T-shirts or PG caps produced in Asia as cheaply as possible and under suspect production conditions. So we simply took a closer look at Penguin products over the last five years to check whether the quality requirements for PG clothing are really being met. In chronological order, we examined 3L jackets and trousers (2016), the Pinneco insulated jacket (2017), again the 3L combo and the Pinneco insulated trousers (2018) and then the baselayer (shirt and trousers) and the fleece hoodie (2020). Clear verdict: Yes, it fits well!!! Reason enough to finally turn a normal partnership into something more substantial.
