If you’re a long time fan of Puredown or have been using down material for years, you may already be familiar with the age-old secrets of duck and goose down and well aware of its incredible benefits in helping to overcome classic sleep problems and its part in ensuring a comfortable night’s rest. However, if you’re still undecided on the advantages of goose and duck down, or are just curious as to what role this seemingly mysterious material has in the sleep experience, we’ve prepared a handy little guide to the history of this wonderful material, along with the places where we at Puredown source our material from, right below!
Before we start, let’s have a brief look at what goose and duck down actually is. To put it simply, down feathers are the layer of feathers that rest just underneath the outer surface of birds. These feathers are considered the warmest layer as they are the closest layer to the skin and therefore provide the best insulation of warmth and help to ensure as little wind as possible comes into contact with the skin of the animal.
Although the use of down feathers has been documented in ancient Native American religious ceremonies and were often given deeply spiritual meanings when used in amulets, gifts or when used in sacred dances, its use as a source of warmth for humans in cold temperatures came much later. It wasn’t until the age of global trade in the early 1600s that we find our first true example of goose and duck down being manufactured as an item for warmth, where scholars first find it being mentioned in a contract of sale signed between Russian traders and Dutch merchants for the European market. It very quickly became favored by all the nobility of Europe and beyond and its fame spread rapidly thanks to its incredible warmth, light weight and its ability to last for a considerably long time. It has remained a hugely popular alternative to synthetic materials for over 400 years for a reason!
It is in appreciation and respect of this history and tradition that we at Puredown follow in the footsteps of those first Russian traders in helping bring this wonderful material into the homes of families and enthusiasts across the United States and beyond!
Well, that’s a brief look at the history of this wonderful material and our continuing dedication to the respect and development of it in its growth across the world. At Puredown, we take pride in maintaining our commitments to the responsible sourcing of all of our down products, as well as the strict quality control we focus on, to ensure that each product we send out, is as warm as nature intended.
Stay tuned for next time, folks!
Puredown®