It’s ice to meet you: Zerofit promise summertime comfort with cooling new Ice Weave base layers

Undersuit and base layer experts Zerofit, the Japanese brand who claim to manufacture the ‘world’s warmest base layer’, are now offering something to help keep you seriously cool this summer, with their new Ice Weave range.

The £55 unisex base layer is designed to operate effectively at temperatures between 20°C and 40°C and can stretch up to 500% of its original size (handy if you’ve enjoyed a big lunch). The suit makes use of a technology known as ‘Cold Threads’ – and is designed to offer a comfortable cooling feel.

We spoke to lead designer Kenichi Mori – who crafted the product in Japan. He told MCN: “Sweating is inevitable during long sports activities, and of course this is an issue all motorcyclists will be aware of. This sweat not only robs you of physical strength and energy, but also causes the problem that your clothes become heavy and uncomfortable.

“This means that sweat takes away physical strength and energy, and the clothing sticks to the skin, making it difficult to move.

“It is important to quickly separate sweat from the skin and diffuse it efficiently,” he continued. “Our material provides a solution to free users from the natural enemy of performance called ‘sweat chill’ or cold sweat.”

To do this, ZeroFit have designed ‘Cold Threads’ to offer twice the sweat absorption of conventional nylon – featuring a flat eight-leaf cross section layout claimed to allow liquid (ie sweat) to flow more easily between threads. This capillary action also helps the layers to dry faster between uses – handy if you’re on a tour and need them to dry out overnight so you can get riding early the next day.

The threads themselves are made from high-strength nylon polymer and the material comes in what its makers describe as a ‘cloud’ shape designed to aid sweat wicking.

“The reason for this shape is to increase the contact area with the skin,” Mori continued. “This makes it easier to generate capillary action, and you can benefit from a cool contact sensation the moment you touch it.”

He added: “On the other hand, the ‘Heat Threads’ used in the Heatrub Ultimate base layer generate heat when the fabric rubs against the skin. In addition it creates a heat insulating layer with the outside air.”

Alongside drying and cooling, the designer also spoke about the antibacterial qualities of the product, stating that: “The Ice Weave is processed with ‘Polygiene’, an antibacterial and deodorant treatment with silver as the main ingredient, which suppresses the growth of odour-causing bacteria by 99.9%.

“The antibacterial and deodorant effect lasts semi-permanently even after washing. Polygiene is a Bluesign and Oeko-Tex certified advanced antibacterial and deodorising technology that is friendly to the human body and the environment. Zerofit is a Polygiene Authorised Partner.”

Zerofit deploy what they call a ‘Tateami’ warp method to knit the fabric. Kenichi Mori explains: “Different textures can be created seamlessly with a single thread, making it possible to optimally arrange textures.”

Zerofit do a wide range of layers for bikers – providing hot and cold tops, plus leggings, socks, masks, neck warmers and much more. They have also struck a deal with this year’s Motorcycle Live show to provide a free £20 thermal bobble hat when you purchase a £28 ticket to the show, prior to November 18, 2023.

Zerofit Ice Weave is available now and keep an eye out for our full product review once we’ve tested it.

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