Retailers will receive a PrimaLoft vest in return for their jackets

Retailers visiting a major European trade show are being asked to swap their used jackets for a new insulated vest.

PrimaLoft will donate the winter coats it collects to a charity for the homeless.

The fabric and insulation brand is repeating its successful scheme launched last year at OutDoor in Friedrichshafen.

The brand will give a new PrimaLoft Gold Insulation Active Vest to show visitors in return for their ‘lightly worn’ jackets or coats.

The company said it will donate all collected jackets and coats to Obdachlosenhilfe St Bonifaz, a monastery that supports the homeless, providing special support during the cold winter months. Obdachlosenhilfe St Bonifaz is located in Munich, home of the PrimaLoft European headquarters.

Jochen Lagemann, managing director of PrimaLoft in Europe and Asia, said: “Following the major success of our first PrimaLoft retailer coat swap, we would like to seize the opportunity to assist persons in need in the coming winter.

“All of us taking part at OutDoor Friedrichshafen are lucky enough to have a roof over our heads. We surely each have a jacket in our closet that could provide warmth to those in need if it were to be donated.

“Besides supporting a good cause, retailers also have to opportunity to test our new PrimaLoft Gold Insulation Active technology before it is sold in their stores.”

PrimaLoft said its Gold Insulation Active is a multi-stretch insulation that regulates wearers’ comfort levels during intense activities, providing high breathability and warmth designed specifically for top-performance adventures.

The Benedictine monastery at St Boniface’s Abbey in Munich has for more than 10 years opened its doors to those in need. The institution offers warm meals, medical treatment and donated clothes for those without health insurance and social services.