Canada Goose teams up with Pantone to fight for Polar Bears

Camp Jacket by Canda Goose in PBI Blue. (© Courtesy of Canada Goose)

Canada Goose is championing the plight of polar bears with a new partnership with the colour institute Pantone.

The outwear brand has teamed up with the colour authority to create a precise shade of blue, dubbed ‘PBI Blue', which forms the basis of a new collection. The name is a reference to Canada Goose's 10-year partnership with Polar Bears International (PBI), a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of polar bears and their habitat, and whose researchers and scientists are kitted out in the brand's gear for Arctic missions.

The hue is a vivid, energizing blue that symbolizes the colour of the sea ice, and, according to Laurie Pressman, Vice President, Pantone Color Institute, which "directly links us to nature and our ecosystem."

"With two-thirds of the world's polar bears living in Canada, we feel an innate responsibility to protect polar bears and their habitat," said Dani Reiss, president and CEO of Canada Goose, in a statement. "We're grateful to The Pantone Color Institute for their help in bringing 'PBI Blue' to life and shining attention on this important global issue."

Unveiled for International Polar Bear Day on Feb. 27, the PBI capsule collection features a series of parkas, lightweight jackets and accessories for adults and children, made from the electric blue hue. Each PBI jacket sold will see Canada Goose donate $50 towards polar bear and environmental research and advocacy funding.

This isn't the first time Pantone has teamed up with a lifestyle brand to create a custom colour -- in 2016 Jason Wu enlisted the help of the colour authority to develop a specific shade of grey for the launch of his fashion label 'Grey Jason Wu,' while a year earlier Pantone Universe joined forces with cosmetics giant Sephora on an official, limited-edition beauty collection.