The strongest fiber in the world

Ultralight. Ultrastrong. Spectra Fibre.

Honeywell are one of the very few companies on Earth who have the capability to produce a fibre that can be considered the strongest man-made fibre. For decades, their Spectra Fibre was contractually produced for the US military – for use in bullet proof, cut proof and ballistic protection.

Spectra Fiber is a ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibre that has been trusted globally for decades. Pound-for-pound, it’s fifteen times stronger than steel and more durable than polyester.

Used when lightweight strength is critical, Spectra Fiber can be found in industrial, ballistic armour, and medical applications – it was used to lower the Golden Gate bridge sections into position as high-strength industrial straps, and it’s used to tether the International Space Station together. It’s as strong as fibre can get.

My role was to design a new brand for the product, when it’s licence with the US military came to an end. Honeywell spotted a place in the market for the material – in lightweight, super strong outdoor adventure clothing and gear.

To reposition the fibre for commercial B2C markets, the product needed a brand, a complete brand positioning and a strategy to go to market. This brand exercise took 12 months to deliver, through an international project, with many stake-holders, user group testing and creative development.

I produced the brand, the creative and art direction – the entire brand identity from logo and brand, digital and retail and POS and worked with the brand strategist to best position the product in the market.

The initial phase would see the brand sold into b2b and manufacturing brands, so they could prototype and test the material, with a long game plan to develop the material for use in advanced professional gear, all the way to accesible clothing, based on weight and use of fibre as an ingredient brand, not unlike how Goretex, Cordura or Thinsulate can add new advantages to material.

Now, several years after prototype and testing, the fibre and brand can be found in products for The North Face, Rab, NW Alpine, Levis, Harley Davidson and more.

The ambition finally realised, it’s an honour to see the brand pop up from time to time as an ingredient label, next to some of the worlds most loved outdoor brands.