Eiderdown
Exporting eiderdown for more than 40 years
From the founding of the company XCO has been exporting eiderdown and eiderdown is still part of the company.
What is eiderdown?
Eiderdown is the down from the Common eider duck (somateria Mollissima). The down is located under the feathers of eiders, for the most parts on the abdomen. When the eider duck is nesting, the female eider picks of part of the down to put in the nest.
Eiderdown has a unique structure and its barbs form pockets that trap air that protect ducks from the cold. Unlike feathers, down does not have a rigid central part.
Why does eiderdown cost so much?
First and foremost eiderdown is the only down to be collected in the wild making it a very precious natural resource. Also, the unique qualities of the eiderdown that can not be replicated with synthetic fillings makes it a very rare product.
Eiderdown is unlike any other material on the planet. Under the microscope, it reveals its magic in a chaos of intertwined threads.
Several unique characteristics of eiderdown
The unique way the down is tangled together gives it many highly unique characteristics
- Compression resistance
- Extremely light
- Highly insulating
- Incredibly soft
Interesting facts about eiderdown
When you start getting to know more about eiderdown you will find many interesting and surprising thing
- Eiderdown has been used for hundreds of year
- During harvesting great care is taken that no harm comes to the eider bird
- Eider birds are protected by the farmers, therefor Icelandic eiderdown is animal-friendly and eco-friendly
- Sustainable farming