First time in the world BASK presented in the Outdoor Trade Show in Friedrichshafen, Germany this July it's collection of down clothes with 100% of eiderdown inside. It was real show-stopper! No one ever in the world before tried to apply the unique and exclusive characteristics eiderdown in the warm down and especially outdoor clothing.
So what's so special about eider and it's down?
 For millions of years nature was working hard to create unique insulation - eiderdown. Its thermal and healing properties are chanted in legends. Eiderdown has always had a luxurious image mainly because of its rarity, current annual world output being ca 4000 kg, thereof 3000 from Iceland. It is unusually light and soft with unique thermal isolation.
One of the advantages of eiderdown compared to goose one - is eiderdown's ability to immediately return to former volume after compression. Besides that, very lightweight eiderdown flocks are hooked to each other in a special way. That prevents down from migration inside clothing, filled with eiderdown.
This quality is understandable considering that eiderdown protects the large eider duck (somateria mollissima) from the extreme cold of The Arctic Ocean, its winter habitat, where it feeds on capelin. Eiders are only found around The Polar Circle and they only return ashore for nesting in June along desolate shore and isles of the polar region, Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia.
In Iceland they have been protected and appear unusually tame for a wild bird, almost semi-domesticated, retreating only a few feet from the nest while the "eider farmer" gathers the down from the nest and replaces it with hay. Eiders in Iceland directly seek out nesting near farms and villages for they seem to sense that human presence keeps their worst natural enemy, the arctic fox, away.
Eiderdown has been gathered for use in bedding and garments since time immemorial. Archeologists have found remnants from the stone age in Finland indicating the use of down. History tells of a norwegian tax collector who in year ca 890 collected eiderdown amongst other things as tax.
In the year 1651, king Christian IV had eider nesting colonies in
northern Norway protected by a royal decree since he was so impressed with the rich birdlife. Accounts furthermore tell of him having eiderdown bought and sent to Copenhagen for his own comforters. When Iceland got settled by Norse seafarers in the 9th century, these brought with them the tradition of eiderdown harvesting and the eider has always been a protected species in Iceland. Icelanders are today the only ones who have kept this tradition and have in the last decades developed special eiderdown processing technology.
Eiderdown has always had a luxurious image mainly because of its rarity, current annual world output being ca 4000 kg, thereof 3000 from Iceland. Tradition of gathering eiderdown in period of nesting is very old. As centuries ago, nowadays eider down is collected manually from eider nests and is replaced with hay: it cause no harm to grown-up bird and its netlings. Inherent stage of processing of eiderdown is manual washing and special finishing. Then eiderdown is exposed to anti-septic tincture and only after that it is ready for use.
New technology of processing of raw material can result in up to 16 grams of eiderdown of best quality from one nest. Easy to count, how many nests it takes to get enough down for one jacket!
The total annual world output of eiderdown has been gradually sinking over a long time. Imperial Russia harvested quantity measured in tons in the 19th century, now this amount decreased dramatically. Denmark and Norway as well as Germany did harvest too but with increased population and eider being a big game, the eider stock lost in numbers, its remnants retreating north. Even in Iceland the eider stock took a permanent hit when mink accidentally got introduced into Iceland fauna in the fifties.
Eiderdown products last for a decade or two depending on the climate, the cooler the better. There have never been as many diamonds in the world as now and new ones are steadily being mined, - yet for smart marketing the diamond is as desirable as ever. Eiderdown becomes steadily rarer with ever less being harvested and high volume domestic breeding is impossible. The eiderdown clothing or sleeping bags last but for a few decades and though the retail price of eiderdown clothing in Japan may be calculated in tens of thousands of $, - the filling material market is prone to fluctuations because of lack of marketing, any marketing at all, smart or otherwise, on the hand of the export country, Iceland.
Eskimos use eiderdown for garments, Germans have lined high-class furniture with eiderdown, Americans made women's fashion jackets of eiderdown, Toyota keeps a file on eiderdown for possible use in interior lining of luxury automobiles. Now
Japan has in the past couple of decades become the main market for eiderdown where it is used in comforters, "kakefuton", sold in for ex. The Takashimaya and Mitsuzokaia stores in the Ginza district of Tokyo.
In today's China, some firms are named after "eiderdown", though they have nothing to do therewith and "eiderdown"
jackets stuffed with goose feathers are a popular Asian merchandise and "eiderdowns " (comforters) are sold in Europe having not a shred of real eiderdown in them. The legend lives on; imitations flourish though only a few lucky ones actually get to experience sleeping under a real eiderdown comforter.
Before the October revolution 1917 imperial Russia was the main market for eiderdown in the world. Back in the 19th century Russian Orthodox Church owned eider nesting colonies near the White Sea and had monks gather, process the down and make comforters for the high clergy, and in the 20th century Russia, as the 1st superpower in space, used eiderdown for astronauts' suits.
In year 1982 when Russian alpine climbers were ascending Everest, the eiderdown was used for their equipment. Since that, eiderdown wasn't used for equipping alpine expeditions till famous Russian alpine climber Valery Babanov came into play and started to use eiderdown jacket during his extremely difficult ascensions. He was awarded the "Golden ice-axe" prize and was acknowledged as the best alpine-climber in year 2001. The eiderdown jacket, that helped Valery Babanov to make unexampled ascensions in Himalayas, was made for him by Russian company BASK.
Nowadays BASK Company is regenerating ancient eiderdown-traditions in Russia. During several years BASK Company is using natural best-quality eiderdown for production of exclusive orders for elite clothing.
Maybe, nowadays BASK is the sole company in the world, that produces extremely lightweight and very warm garments (from jackets and suits to mittens and hats) from 100% eiderdown.
BASK can manufacture any of its items from down collection range with eiderdown, which makes the possibility to satisfy the taste practically of any customer, taking into consideration the level of exclusivity for the future owner.
The possessor of eiderdown garment is getting the embroidery of his name on it and becoming a member of elite and exclusive club of eiderdown experts.
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