Diesel develops denim fabric capable of halting viral activity

As brands and retailers respond to the COVID-19 crisis, Diesel has found a new way to contribute to ending the pandemic. The denim label has developed an innovative fabric that can physically halt 99 percent of viral activity.

Created in partnership with Swedish firm Polygiene, Diesel retains exclusive use of the new ViralOff treatment on denim. The brand will implement ViralOff across a selection of its Spring/Summer 2021 styles, with the aim to include it in an even wider range moving forward.

Polygiene began working on garment protection with the SARS epidemic in the early 2000s, with ViralOff serving as a result of its efforts. The fabric technology has the capacity to disable at least 99 percent of viral activity within two hours of contact between pathogens and the fabric. It works by interaction with key proteins that prevent the virus from attaching to textile fibers. The treatment has proven to be effective against a range of viruses including COVID-19.

Diesel will treat a selection of denim models with ViralOff during the final production stages.