A new kind of active fabric hit shelves today, and it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than the same old merino-synthetic crap that for years has been prancing around the clothing industry and patting itself on the back for being “revolutionary.” It is actually promising — and that’s coming from a jaded, grumpy outdoors writer, which says something. It’s called GoldFusion, it’s made by Rhone, and it is just what its name implies — high-performance fabric infused with tiny particles of gold. This breakthrough treatment affords ludicrously fast dry times, near-perfect odor resistance and improved eco-friendliness.
Rhone says GoldFusion garments dry “up to three times faster than tested market leaders.” Now, when the company says market leaders, it’s probably talking about Nike Dri-Fit. I can say that because recently I saw, in person, a GoldFusion shirt being tested. The shirt was hung in a glass case, blasted with moisture and then left to dry. Digital timers, along with the absence of stains or beads of water, indicated that the Rhone shirt was crisp and dry several minutes before market leaders like Nike. Was it a marketing stunt? Technically, yes. But I didn’t smell bullshit, and I don’t think you will, either.
Five GoldFusion products are live on Rhone’s site right now: two t-shirts, shorts, a quarter-zip pullover and a gym towel.
