Clothing brand Diesel has partnered with Swedish odour control specialist Polygiene on a new denim treatment that is said to physically halt 99% of any viral activity.

The ViralOff application – which Diesel can use exclusively on denim – will be implemented across a selection of the brand’s spring/summer 2021 denim styles, with plans to roll it out across a greater range of products in the future.

The technology has the capacity to disable over 99% of viral activity within two hours of contact between pathogens and fabric, according to the firms, and has shown efficacy against a comprehensive range of viruses, including Covid-19. It works by interacting with key proteins, inhibiting the virus from attaching to textile fibres. 

The denim treatment is said to last for the lifetime of the garment, thus extending its lifespan by reducing wash cycle counts.

It also includes Odor Crunch, which also protects against odours that come from external sources. 

A slew of new solutions have been launched in recent weeks to provide textiles with antiviral and antibacterial properties. Among them are HeiQ’s Viroblock NPJ03, which is said to reduce 99.99% of human coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

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