You have your masks, you have your physical distancing, you have your vaccine, but don’t forget your … trench coat? That’s what the Canadian brand NONIE suggests, worn by people like Megan Markle, with its new antiviral trench coat that has the potential to stop the spread of COVID-19 viruses and SARS.

The fully recyclable and sustainable women’s clothing brand has teamed up with patent-protected athletic scrubs brand FOLDS to create the basic outerwear you seemingly didn’t know you needed.

Beyond the clean lines, roomy shape and earthy, muted colourways that make the trench coat wearable, the brand uses patent-protected nanotechnology to fuse every fiber in the garment with silver and carbon ions. This claims to immediately kill the COVID-19 and SARS viruses, preventing them from multiplying on the tissue. The fabric also does not release any microfibers, which prevents virus or bacteria from breaking away from the fabric and being inhaled by the wearer or a person nearby.

NONIE isn’t the first to bring pandemic-conscious clothing to the fashion scene; Diesel claimed to create an antiviral denim material to stop COVID in 2020, an Italian luxury brand called Albini Group created a Viroformula fabric for companies like Prada and Armani that uses silver to kill the virus on contact and the company of Toronto-based biotechnology IFTNA has created an antiviral chemical fabric coating claiming to do the same.

When asked if antiviral materials would become a mainstay of fashion design, NONIE founder Nina Kharey is hopeful.

“Clothes need to be more functional now. He absolutely has a role to play in protecting us.

Retailing at $ 790.67, the trench coat certainly comes at a price, but can offer stylish peace of mind for the more COVID-conscious and forward-thinking buyer.

Experts have said that COVID-19 is spread primarily through airborne respiratory droplets, and it has been widely reported that the virus rarely spreads through surfaces or fomite transfer. So it’s likely that the technology that kills COVID in clothing fabrics won’t do much to stop the spread – but for the consumer more concerned about the pandemic, it could make you feel a bit safer during the day. of those packed grocery shopping.

Kharey says that a shift in recent years towards more targeted shopping has heavily influenced demand for brands, like NONIE, which offer 100% recyclable and sustainable clothing options.

“I think people are more and more aware of the waste and consumerism in the [fashion] industry.”

You might recognize the brand in photos of Meghan Markle from the 2018 era, who was seen not once, but twice wearing a NONIE sleeveless belted trench dress. With duchess-worthy re-wear potential and an eco-friendly and socially responsible approach to design, NONIE’s pieces (known in the sustainable fashion world as “circular clothing”) will certainly become more and more popular. popular.

“Fashion is one of the most polluting industries in the world,” says Nina. “Fashion must become more eco-conscious; the industry puts more than 40 million tonnes of fabric in landfills each year.

If you are interested in shopping for the latest fashion and technology in the COVID era and are looking for a new fall coat, this purchase could be for you!