Care Instructions and Tips

For our C6 treated clothing, you don't have to do all the extra steps. It's actually quite energy and money saving to have all of your clothes treated with C6 Technology.


For best results, machine wash cold, inside out, with like colors. That includes your whites. Washing in cold water saves you money. Tumble dry on medium and do not use fabric softeners. All you need is a light tumble since C6 technology dries faster and in already wrinkle free. It's best not to use fabric softeners since some contain different technology that can adversely effect your C6 tech. As soon as the dryer is done, you can grab your shirt and go. You're welcome to iron your clothing, but it's not necessary and I would advise against ironing with water or starch since it cannot be absorbed into the clothing. This is the same reason why you don't need to dry clean.

I know what you saying, "Why do I need to wash my clothes if they are treated with something that protects against water, stains, and odor?" Our technology makes clothing water, stain, odor resistant. Washing the garment will remove oils making the C6 Technology work as good as new.

Care Instructions

For our C6 treated clothing, you don't have to do all the extra steps.  It's actually quite energy and money saving to have all of your clothes treated with C6 Technology.

For best results, machine wash cold, inside out, with like colors.  That includes your whites.  Washing in cold water saves you money.  Tumble dry on medium and do not use fabric softeners.  All you need is a light tumble since C6 technology dries faster and in already wrinkle free.  It's best not to use fabric softeners since some contain different technology that can adversely effect your C6 tech.  As soon as the dryer is done, you can grab your shirt and go.  You're welcome to iron your clothing, but it's not necessary and I would advise against ironing with water or starch since it cannot be absorbed into the clothing.  This is the same reason why you don't need to dry clean. 

I know what you saying, "Why do I need to wash my clothes if they are treated with something that protects against water, stains, and odor?"  Our technology makes clothing water, stain, odor resistant.  Washing the garment will remove oils making the C6 Technology work as good as new.

Vancouver Snowboarding Hot Spots

I’m preparing for a trip up to Vancouver, Canada and I’m very excited to go snowboarding up there. I was searching around for the best spots and here’s what I found from the websites. From most expensive daily lift, to cheapest (all CAD):


Whistler Blackcomb, Lift tickets start at $93.

Whistler is 2 hours north of downtown Vancouver, and probably most famous because of the Olympics. It hosted Alpine Skiing events, all Nordic events, Luge, Bobsled, and Skeleton. Needless to say, this place looks huge and although it’s distance to downtown, it’s likely a huge tourist attraction. Although it’s the most expensive daily lift ticket, they offer several different discounts, group discounts, and package options to help save a buck include deals with their Edge Card. You can take lessons and snowboarding rental set starts at $34.99. They also offer other events besides snowboarding and skiing, there is ziptrek tours, snowmobiling, dog sledding, snowshoeing, sleigh rides, and even helli-skiing! Before you go, check out their weathercams, etc. All I can say, is this looks amazing and I’m assuming very worth the drive and money.
http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/

Cypress Mountain, Lift tickets start at $58.04.

Cypress was also home to many Olympic events including Moguls, Aerials, Ski Cross, Snowboard Halfpipe, Giant Slalom, and Snowboard Cross. You can actually snowboard on the Olympic Halfpipe, which is amazing! I feel like they let you do and see a lot of your lift ticket. They do have very separated Nordic & Alpine sides of the mountains. The Nordic side has a huge area to snowshoe. They offered a Gold Medal Card for their discount prices and this place looked pretty awesome. Rental sets start at $41.96 and it’s only a 50 minute drive North West from Vancouver. I thought this place looked like it had a lot to offer and could be a lot of fun.
http://cypressmountain.com/

Grouse Mountain, Lift tickets start at $55.

The mountains that don’t offer Olympic claim to fames, tend to be much cheaper, but not necessarily a “cheap” place. Grouse Mountain looks phenomenal with lots to do and it’s only 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver! Snowboard package rentals start at $42, but you can combine on your tours and save a lot of money. They offer a free style park, snowshoeing, sno-limo, paragliding, and ziplines. They also have the claim to fame of the Eye of the Wind tour. There is lots to do there and it’s amazing to think that it is so close to the city! I think this mountain gives you the most bang for your buck.
http://www.grousemountain.com/

Manning Park Resort, Lift tickets start at $45.

This may be an amazing resort and I have actually heard decent things about it, but if a tourist like myself was stumbling across the website, you would find it nothing short of disappointing. The Park is 3 hours East from downtown, making it the farthest mountain and it has no claim to fame. It does offer similar events and ice skating, but for how confusing the website was, why would I drive 3 hours for the same thing closer?
http://www.manningpark.com/

Mt. Seymour, Lift tickets start at $44.50.

Mt. Seymour looked like the simplest website, but still cool. I feel like they are saying, “We don’t have to compete with the ‘famous mountains.’ We do our own thing.” They do have a more slim menu of outdoor activities, the only extras offered are snowshoeing, tubing, and tobogganing. However, it had a fun vibe and seemed like you would find many more avid snowboarders and locals here. Since rental packages start at $41 and it’s only 30 minutes north east of Vancouver, Seymour seems like the best deal if you really want to snowboard.
http://www.mountseymour.com/

Portland Fashion Week

Portland Fashion Week was October 6-10th.  My wife and I went on the 9th to see her favorite designer, Seth Aaron Henderson.

The video is of his collection, inspired by SolarWorld.  It was very exciting and the crowd loved each piece.

The other designers were fun as well and also all from Project Runway, but I would say the next best was Gordana, with her line "Goga."  Most of her clothes seemed wearable and interesting.  Jonathan Joseph....snooze.  Jay Nicolas Sario...eh.  Now I'm no fashion expert, but I do not what is wearable and comfortable and on those terms "Goga" won.

It was fun to see a Fashion Show so up close.  We will be working on getting in Swag bags next year.

Updated Press Release, as seen in Yahoo! News

NW Allen launches the next generation of protective apparel.

Skankeywear®, Inc. a Beaverton, Oregon headquartered company has launched the NW Allen brand; a range of shirts, pants and ties initially for the US and global market. The products have unique benefits that protect clothes from a number of things that can damage and stain garments. NW Allen uses C-6 technology which is a special eco-friendly chemical coating that allows the clothes to be stain resistant, water repellant, fade resistant, odor repellant, stain resistant and wrinkle free. This advanced technology has been years in development but the results have been worth the wait. Says CEO Nathan Skankey “NW Allen is the ultimate protective range of clothes for the frequent traveler and business person.” Simply put if you spill something on your clothes or have to travel with several meetings and have long lay over’s you won’t have to worry about unpleasant odors and embarrassing stains!


NW Allen clothes do not require ironing so you can shake them out after drying and immediately put them on because they are wrinkle resistant. In a world committed to saving our planet you are now part of the solution given that you can save valuable energy with NW Allen clothing.

NW Allen has a range of poplin shirts, slacks and colorful stylish ties that are fashionable as well as being protective. These products will provide a great value for the discerning consumer. In addition, for a limited time during the introduction, NW Allen will be offering lucrative discounts and value packs.

The products will be sold primarily via online portal at http://www.nwallen.com/. And will be nationally available in the spring. Over the next twelve months the company plans to expand distribution into both specialty stores and eventually to mass retail outlets.

Join us as we bring a new wave of stylish and resistant clothing to consumers.

For further details please visit us at http://www.nwallen.com/, http://www.nwallen.blogspot.com/ and follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/NWAllenapparel.

Skankeywear is the nations leading provider of quality and protective apparel for a range of occasions. NW Allen is the professional and executive travel brand within the overall Skankeywear portfolio.

C-6 Technology and Cotton

Cotton has always been the choice fiber because of its inherent comfort, hand, feel, breathable, quietness, style, image and history.

The Problem:

Cotton has always lacked the basic performance attributes which lead to the rise of synthetics in the apparel market. Interestingly enough, in recent years, synthetic manufacturers have been trying hard to make, for example, polyesters feel like cotton.

prefers cottons over synthetics for style and

The negative attributes of cotton include over 100% absorption of water when wet, lack of any stain resistance, very long drying times and therefore not practically useful for the slightest weather change.

Because the consumer stillcomfort reasons, the industry has recently began to address the demand by trying to develop performance cottons - unsuccessfully.

The reasons for the lack of success have been:

• Poor adhesion of water & stain repellant chemicals to the cotton fiber due to the traditional nature of the dyeing and finishing process
• Lack of understanding the proper use of water repellant chemicals on cottons, which is significantly different than on synthetics
• Companies who try to transfer technologies developed for other industries and apply them to cottons
• Natural tendency of cotton to absorb a lot of water and stain easily whereas synthetics naturally absorb less water and also do not stain quite easily
• Technical challenges, such as inconsistent curing of current water-repellant chemical causing skin irritation on consumer

Our solution:

Due to the traditional application methods creating performance and curing issues which has been plaguing the industry for a long time, our process was specifically developed for water & stain repellant application to address and solve these problems.

We see a unique opportunity in cotton and denim. Specifically, we can use the advantages of our technology, C-6 Technology, to create a truly high performance cotton and denim that performs like a synthetic while keeping all cotton's natural attributes.

Our process is applied as a liquid performance finish; specifically, water and stain repellant finishes, to apparel after the garment has been completed. This brings added durability, flexibility in fabric type, quickness to market, and waste reduction cost to customers.

The process adds durability to any finish when applied to garments that could not be achieved in the conventional fabric finishing systems employed today. Not only is the entire garment treated and protected, but seams, embroideries, logos, zippers and pockets are also protected from outside influences of daily weather and wear.

Conventional water resistant treatments, currently on the market, are done mostly on raw fabrics. Therefore apparel manufacturers are locked into specific fabric types made available by the mills doing the treatments. However, in our process, virtually any garment made out of cotton or synthetic fabric or a blend thereof can be treated providing all of the advantages of a high performance product.

C-6 Technology treated clothing absorbs much less water making the water consumption used while washing treated clothing much less than a non-treated article of clothing, saving water. Treated clothing also dries twice as fast as untreated clothing saving on electricity making clothing treated with C-6 Technology Eco-Friendly. Cotton has always been the choice fiber because of its inherent comfort, hand, feel, breathability, quietness, style, image and history.

C-6 Technology and Cotton

Cotton has always been the choice fiber because of its inherent comfort, hand, feel, breathable, quietness, style, image and history.

The Problem:

Cotton has always lacked the basic performance attributes which lead to the rise of synthetics in the apparel market. Interestingly enough, in recent years, synthetic manufacturers have been trying hard to make, for example, polyesters feel like cotton.

The negative attributes of cotton include over 100% absorption of water when wet, lack of any stain resistance, very long drying times and therefore not practically useful for the slightest weather change.

Because the consumer still prefers cottons over synthetics for style and comfort reasons, the industry has recently began to address the demand by trying to develop performance cottons - unsuccessfully.

The reasons for the lack of success have been:

• Poor adhesion of water & stain repellant chemicals to the cotton fiber due to the traditional nature of the dyeing and finishing process
• Lack of understanding the proper use of water repellant chemicals on cottons, which is significantly different than on synthetics
• Companies who try to transfer technologies developed for other industries and apply them to cottons
• Natural tendency of cotton to absorb a lot of water and stain easily whereas synthetics naturally absorb less water and also do not stain quite easily
• Technical challenges, such as inconsistent curing of current water-repellant chemical causing skin irritation on consumer

Our solution:

Due to the traditional application methods creating performance and curing issues which has been plaguing the industry for a long time, our process was specifically developed for water & stain repellant application to address and solve these problems.

We see a unique opportunity in cotton and denim. Specifically, we can use the advantages of our technology, C-6 Technology, to create a truly high performance cotton and denim that performs like a synthetic while keeping all cotton's natural attributes.

Our process is applied as a liquid performance finish; specifically, water and stain repellant finishes, to apparel after the garment has been completed. This brings added durability, flexibility in fabric type, quickness to market, and waste reduction cost to customers.

The process adds durability to any finish when applied to garments that could not be achieved in the conventional fabric finishing systems employed today. Not only is the entire garment treated and protected, but seams, embroideries, logos, zippers and pockets are also protected from outside influences of daily weather and wear.

Conventional water resistant treatments, currently on the market, are done mostly on raw fabrics. Therefore apparel manufacturers are locked into specific fabric types made available by the mills doing the treatments. However, in our process, virtually any garment made out of cotton or synthetic fabric or a blend thereof can be treated providing all of the advantages of a high performance product.

C-6 Technology treated clothing absorbs much less water making the water consumption used while washing treated clothing much less than a non-treated article of clothing, saving water. Treated clothing also dries twice as fast as untreated clothing saving on electricity making clothing treated with C-6 Technology Eco-Friendly. Cotton has always been the choice fiber because of its inherent comfort, hand, feel, breathability, quietness, style, image and history.

Just Because

Go to http://www.nwallen.com/, at check out use the promo code:  introductory50offsecond

Get 50% off your entire purchase!  Valid through Sunday 9/26/10.

Hurray and get your shop on!

Also join our Facebook group and enter to win a free tie!

Apparel Spotlight: Ties

Some may think "Ties, whatever."  Whatever is the wrong attitude.  You don't have to be a fashionista, but if you can pick a good tie, you can look just as sharp.  Things to consider when purchasing a tie:

1)  How many outfits can this go with?  You don't need to think too long.  Look at the colors in the tie and figure out how many things these colors can work with.  Take the Yellow tie with Blue Stripes.  If you have a blue shirt, this will look amazing, try to think about how this will work with what you already own and what you may want to purchase.  If the tie can only work with the one shirt the one way, I'd advise against it.

2)  What is the real color?  It's hard to tell online sometimes and many will photoshop their products.  We try to give you the real colors.  There could be a slight variation between natural lighting and flash, so we try to make sure you can see that so you can know what it will look like on you and for all the different times you may wear that particular tie.

3)  How many times or places will I wear this?  Think about the occassions and usefulness of the tie.  Simple stripes or a nice solid pattern are great for several occassions.  Bugs Bunny may not be the best choice for an interview.  Similarly, the bold striking pattern is not the one you want to wear to a funeral.  Go with classic and verstile looks that you can wear to the funeral, the wedding, and the interview.

4)  Who cares about a tie?  You may be saying to yourself, "Wow, I'm putting a lot of thought into a tie," but any purchase should have some thought in it and I a tie is often overlooked.  Tie's are certainly the cherry on top and who would want a rotten cherry?

All NW Allen ties are all classic colors, great and simple styles, perfect for every occassion, and the cherry on top:  All treated with C-6 Technology.  No more dipping your tie in coffee or having a glass of wine ruin your look.  Check out all our line at NWAllen.com.

Apparel Spotlight: Slacks

We have done our research to learn that the most common two colors of slacks for men are Black and Khaki.  So to start out our line, we have decided to stick with the research and hope to expand this in the future.

There's nothing too fancy to them, they are slacks and you can order them to your exact size may you be 28 x 35 or 35 x 28.

Having a dress shirt that is treated with C-6 Technology is great, but if you do spill something on you, it will roll right off and down on your pants!  That's why it's so important to have your pants also treated with C-6 Technology which gives you full protection and a stress-free life!

Apparel Spotlight: Dress Shirts

I know dress shirts aren't that exciting, but they are the key to the "dressy" wardrobe.  It's underneath your suit or the focal point for your simple slacks and top.  Selecting a dress shirt is actually quite important.

Our studies show that white shirts are the most common purchased and you tend to have the most in your closet.  They are classic and perfect for all occasions.  By selecting the white shirt, you're always right.  If you select a purple or maroon shirt...it could have it's consequences depending on the setting.  So, for our humble inventory on NWAllen.com we are starting with just the white dress shirts.  We have two variations.

Oxford:  The Oxford weave is considered slightly more casual because of it's more noticeable weave.  This does make it more affordable.

Poplin:  Poplin weave has a tighter and less noticeable knit making the fabric look closer to a silk than a cotton.  It gives a more luxurious feel and thus, can be offered at a higher price.

We like offering the two similar selections because these are the two most common weaves.  We like to keep the style simple and versatile.  No button down collars, and simple cuffs.  And of course, all of our clothing is treated with C6 Technology.  That way, our shirts can be perfect for the rarely dressing up wedding attendee, the fancy CEO, and all types in between.  Check them out at NWAllen.com.

C6 Tech

What is C6 Technology?

C6 Technology is a revolutionary technology that may be applied to almost any textile to protect it from daily occurrences, but at the same time retain the integrity of the fabric and continue to have a comfortable and breathable fit. The daily occurrences protected against include stains, water, odors, sunlight and wrinkles.

How does C6 Technology work?

C6 Technology is a nano-level based technology that encapsulates each fiber of a textile individually to protect the fibers themselves. The fibers are so close to each other that they create a barrier creating a wall that protects against the unexpected.

Attributes include:

•Repels Stains

C6 Technology is most famous for repelling those unwanted stains.

•Repels Water/Liquids

C6 Technology works best against liquids creating the appearance of water just rolling off like it does on glass.

•Repels odors

Due to its stain repelling technology C6 Technology also protects against odors that are brought on by stains in the shirt.

•Wrinkle resistant

Wrinkles are a nuisance and unwanted, so we took those out.

•Fade resistant

The encapsulation of each fiber protects against the wear and tear that stains, water and even sunlight may cause it helping to keep the colors bright and looking the same as the day you bought it.

How does clothing treated with C6 Technology benefit me?

No one likes to have to replace their favorite shirt or tie just because of a little stain or because it’s starting to fade and change to an unwanted color. C6 Technology helps protect your investment in clothing and keep you looking good in all circumstances. Another added benefit is that clothing treated with C6 Technology use less water and takes less time to dry saving you on utility bills.

For more information, watch our video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0xc8WExmQg&feature=player_embedded

C6 Technology Break Down

What is C6 Technology?

C6 Technology is a revolutionary technology that may be applied to almost any textile to protect it from daily occurrences, but at the same time retain the integrity of the fabric and continue to have a comfortable and breathable fit. The daily occurrences protected against include stains, water, odors, sunlight and wrinkles.

How does C6 Technology work?

C6 Technology is a nano-level based technology that encapsulates each fiber of a textile individually to protect the fibers themselves. The fibers are so close to each other that they create a barrier creating a wall that protects against the unexpected.

Attributes include:

•Repels Stains

C6 Technology is most famous for repelling those unwanted stains.

•Repels Water/Liquids

C6 Technology works best against liquids creating the appearance of water just rolling off like it does on glass.

•Repels odors

Due to its stain repelling technology C6 Technology also protects against odors that are brought on by stains in the shirt.

•Wrinkle resistant

Wrinkles are a nuisance and unwanted, so we took those out.

•Fade resistant

The encapsulation of each fiber protects against the wear and tear that stains, water and even sunlight may cause it helping to keep the colors bright and looking the same as the day you bought it.

How does clothing treated with C6 Technology benefit me?

No one likes to have to replace their favorite shirt or tie just because of a little stain or because it’s starting to fade and change to an unwanted color. C6 Technology helps protect your investment in clothing and keep you looking good in all circumstances. Another added benefit is that clothing treated with C6 Technology use less water and takes less time to dry saving you on utility bills.

For more information, watch our video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0xc8WExmQg&feature=player_embedded

NWAllen.com

If you haven’t already heard from our Twitter and Facebook Pages, NW Allen (our sister company) is officially launched. Our website is up and open for business. Go ahead and check it out: www.nwallen.com. Let us know what you think and of course, feel free to shop.

Get 50% off your total purchase by entering the Promo Code: introductory50off. Offer is good until September 13th. Happy shopping!

And if you aren't familiar with what we're talking about, NW Allen is our dress line with shirts, ties, and slacks all treated with the same C-6 Technology.  Check it out!

NWAllen.com

If you haven’t already heard from our Twitter and Facebook Pages, NW Allen is officially launched. Our website is up and open for business. Go ahead and check it out: www.nwallen.com. Let us know what you think and of course, feel free to shop.

Get 50% off your total purchase by entering the Promo Code: introductory50off. Offer is good until September 13th. Happy shopping!