Cool Gift Ideas For Mother’s Day
The strong, hard-working women in our lives deserve to be pampered and appreciated on Mother’s Day — and all the other days of the year.
Consider giving the gift of cooling comfort to the women who are near and dear to your heart.
Here are a few cool gift ideas powered by brrr° to keep her feeling comfortable and fresh.
Midnight Label Pillow Cases from Sheex — These performance pillowcases are super soft and made with brrr° nylon and Sheex SleepTech technology to draw heat and moisture away from the skin. They also dry quickly if you have night sweats or overheating, and they’re frictionless to minimize stress against pajama fabric, skin, and hair.
Southern Tide Kamryn shirt dress — This stylish dress in Southern Tide’s most popular dress silhouette is made with brrr° cooling fabric for all-day comfort at the beach, at work, at brunch, or anywhere in between
Kit and Ace Featherlight clothes — Help her feel polished and professional with this new line of Featherlight pants, shorts, and a packable blazer from Kit and Ace. Each garment is made with brrr° cooling fabric, and the cut and drape is flattering to any figure.
ADAY’s Chill Out Blouse & Cool-Down Crop — Technical wardrobe staples that work across all seasons are a must. ADAY is offering a line of blouses and cropped shirts that are perfect for light layering, and seamlessly transition from work to play.
Bigfoot Sock Co. — Keep her tootsies dry and cool with these performance socks that are available in no-show and loafer cuts.
Mountain Khaki Quarter-Zip- Get her the versatile pullover made with brrrº cooling technology to conquer her day. She can pop this top on ahead of running errands or when she is ready to relax in her yoga session.
brrr° is proud to partner with these and many other retailers to develop products with superior cooling power.
Our patented technology combines natural cooling minerals, active wicking, and rapid drying to create a Triple Chill Effect®️ that instantly and continuously draws heat and moisture away from the skin.
Because it’s a permanent part of the yarn, the cooling sensation of brrr° won’t ever fade or wash out over time. And unlike other brands, brrr° doesn’t have to get wet or sweaty before it activates — it begins working as soon as it touches your skin.
Learn more today at licensing@brrr.com.
Mountain Khakis brings brrrº to Men and Women
Whether you’re headed to the beach or hiking through the mountains, this new line of performance shirts by Mountain Khakis will keep you cool and comfortable from sunup to sundown.
The men’s McKinley Polo is made with a blend of brrr° nylon/polyester/cotton fabric that uses natural cooling minerals, active wicking, and rapid drying to instantly and continuously draw heat and moisture away from your skin. With a premium branded snap closure and lightweight construction, the McKinley Polo is the perfect match for an active lifestyle and easily transitions from work to play. There’s also a men’s McKinley Sun Hoody for those days when you need a light layer of warmth, or some extra protection when you’re on the water or under the sun.
For a more polished look, the men’s Vista Short Sleeve Shirt is a technical marvel. The Vista is packed with features like venting at the back panel, a flip-and-snap collar for extra sun protection, and a built-in chamois sunglasses cleaner stitched into the side seam. Made with a brrr° nylon/spandex blend, the Vista offers plenty of stretch for freedom of movement. The Vista is also available in a long sleeve. 
Ladies will love the versatile McKinley QTR Zip, a quarter-zip pullover made with brrr° performance fabric in a nylon/polyester/cotton blend. With contour seams for a flattering fit and modern style, the pullover is perfect for yoga, hiking, long runs or running errands.
All of the Mountain Khakis brrr° shirts are chemical-free and offer UPF 50+ sun protection, and they’re machine washable. Unlike other products that use sprays and coatings to achieve a cooling effect, brrr° cooling technology is a permanent part of the fabric so the cooling sensation won’t ever fade or wash out over time.
Southern Tide Men’s Shirts & Shorts FTW
Southern Tide has introduced new shirts and shorts for men made with brrrº cooling fabric that are just in time for warmer spring temperatures.
The Driver brrrº Performance Polo should be a wardrobe staple for every man, with the perfect amount of stretch and a stylish cut that easily transitions from the office to leisure time.
New Intercoastal Performance Sport Shirts feature a
quick-dry fabric and come in summer-ready patterns such as a modern mini check and gingham, as well as pastel colors that look cool and fresh.
Southern Tide is also debuting a line of men's brrrºdie Performance Shorts with an 8-inch inseam that have four-way stretch fabric, a zip fly, and a trim silhouette for ultimate style. The fabric wicks moisture and dries quickly to support an active lifestyle. There's also a Gulf Performance Short with a 10-inch seam.
These new Southern Tide lines are all made with brrrº cooling fabric, which has natural cooling minerals, active wicking, and rapid drying technologies that work together to keep men feeling fresh and crisp.
brrrº cooling fabric creates a Triple Chill Effect® that instantly and continuously draws heat and moisture away from the skin. Each brrrº fabric is independently lab tested and proven to outperform other brands.
Stay Cool on the Water with Simms brrr° Shirts
Simms Fishing knows what men need for endurance on the water, and a new line of shirts made with brrr° cooling fabric deliver the goods.
The Simms Stone Cold Shirt with short sleeves is a button-up made with stretchy woven brrr° nylon/elastane fabric for complete freedom of movement and a cooling effect to keep you dry and comfortable on sweltering hot days. The Stone Cold Shirt is also available with long sleeves.
For buggy conditions, try the Simms Bugstopper Fishing Shirt made with stretch brrr° fabric and Insect Shield®️ technology. Insect Shield®️ has been registered to repel mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers, and midges (no-see-ums) and the active ingredient is so tightly bonded to the fabric fibers that it retains effective repellency throughout the lifetime of the product.
The Simms shirts are made with brrr° cooling fabric, which combines natural cooling minerals, active wicking, and rapid drying for a permanent cooling sensation that won’t ever wash out or fade. brrr° creates a Triple Chill Effect®️ that instantly and continuously draws heat and moisture away from the skin.
The shirts are machine washable and offer UPF 50+ sun protection to block harmful ultraviolet rays. They also feature two zip chest pockets to keep essentials handy and secure, while a built-in chamois keeps sunglasses streak-free.
Southern Tide’s Kamryn Dress Keeps Women Cool
Ladies who are looking for a stylish yet functional wardrobe upgrade should set their sights on the Kamryn brrrº shirt dress from Southern Tide.
Made with brrrº cooling fabric, the Kamryn dress has a polished lapel collar with a breezy v-neck and buttoned sleeves that elevate your summer look.
Available in this new jaunty striped pattern along with solid colors, the Kamryn dress falls at mid-thigh and can be machine washed for hassle-free laundry days.
The dress features brrrº natural cooling minerals, active wicking, and rapid drying technologies that work together to create a Triple Chill Effect ® that lasts all day. That means brrrº instantly and continuously draws heat and moisture away from the skin for cool comfort.
brrrº fabric is independently lab tested and proven to keep you cooler.
Kit and Ace Travel Lightly Line Keeps Men Cool
Vacation or staycation. Commuting to work or working from home. Wherever life takes you, Kit and Ace has you covered.
These lines of Travel Lightly pants and jackets for men are made with brrrº cooling fabric that's ultra-stretchy for superior comfort. The material also wicks away moisture and dries quickly so you can stay fresh when life brings the heat.
The Travel Lightly Pants feature a secure side zipper and reflective puller, with a back pocket for extra storage. The signature stretch waistband and gusset allow complete movement, and the locking zipper and T-lock snap give a polished look that's equally casual.
The Travel Lightly Packable Jacket is also made with brrrº cooling fabric that resists wrinkles, with an interior pocket that converts to a pouch for easy transportation and storage- and it can do double duty as a pillow. Drop-in pockets at the front help keep your phone, keys, and wallet in easy reach, while metal snap closures are effortlessly stylish.
The jacket was designed with wrinkle-free front panels to stay crisp and fresh during your travels or life adventures, and an inner loop at the book of the neck lets you hang the jacket wherever you go.
We're proud to partner with Kit and Ace on these lines for men to help them stay cool and refreshed. brrrº combines the powers of natural cooling minerals, active wicking, and rapid drying to create a Triple Chill Effect ® that instantly and continuously draws heat and moisture away from the skin.
Greyson Debuts Performance Apparel for Men
Modern performance menswear brand Greyson has introduced new lines of apparel made with brrr° cooling fabric that helps keep active men feeling their best while exercising and at play.
Greyson debuted new colors of its popular Guide Sport Performance Tee, which is a fan favorite because it’s the perfect combination of a workout T-shirt and a daily wardrobe essential. The company also introduced a long-sleeve version of the Guide tee that’s perfect for transitional weather and travel.
Also new this spring are fresh colors of the popular Omaha polo, which PGA pro Harry Higgs wears and Golf.com described as “the best polo in golf.”
The Omaha polo has a three-button placket and traditional spread collar that’s polished enough to wear on its own, and elevates the look when worn underneath a sweater or sport jacket.
All of these items are made with brrr° cooling fabric, which uses natural cooling minerals, active wicking and rapid drying that instantly and continuously draw heat and moisture away from the skin for a Triple Chill Effect®️ that lasts and lasts.
Oakley Gloves Elevate Cool Comfort
People with active lifestyles deserve gloves that work as hard as they do.
New lines of gloves by Oakley feature brrr° cooling fabric that draws heat and moisture away from the skin for superior comfort and all-day cooling performance.
The Oakley Warm Weather Gloves are lightweight yet rugged for demanding mountain trail biking conditions. With an articulated fit, Lycra binding, an elastic cuff, silicone prints on the thumb and first two fingers to enhance grip, and a palm that’s Ax Quattro touch-screen compatible, the Oakley Warm Weather Gloves are designed for superior function.
The Oakley All Conditions Gloves have knuckle protection, reinforced padding opposite the thumb to help prevent cyclist’s palsy, an adjustable elastic cuff, and Lycra binding for maximum mobility. The seamless Ax Laredo palm offers exceptional dexterity, and the gloves feature touch screen compatible silicone prints on the thumb and first two fingers.
Both styles feature brrr° cooling material on the back of the hand that works with the Hydrolix moisture management system to keep cyclists cool and comfortable when life brings the heat.
brrr° combines the powers of natural cooling mineral, active wicking, and rapid drying to create a Triple Chill Effect®️ that combine to immediately and continually reduce the temperature of your skin. Each brrr° fabric is independently lab tested and proven to keep you cooler.
Mary-Cathryn Kolb of brrr°: Why We Need More Women Founders & Here Is What We Are Doing To Make That Happen
An Interview With Jerome Knyszewski
Women are very observant, insightful and intuitive. We are great at studying problems and finding solutions, and thinking of innovative ways to do things. We can multitask and get stuff done. We also understand the mindset and needs of more than half of the consumers in the country who are buying the products and services that businesses offer.
As a part of our series about “Why We Need More Women Founders”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mary-Cathryn Kolb (Last name pronounced “Cobb”).
Mary-Cathryn Kolb is the Founder & CEO of brrr°, a startup in Atlanta that develops innovative cooling fabric technology. brrr°’s patented method combines natural cooling minerals, active wicking and rapid drying to create a “Triple Chill Effect” that instantly and continuously draws heat and moisture away from your skin. Their fabrics are used by retailers including Southern Tide, Vineyard Vines, Greyson, Kit and Ace, Bigfoot Sock Co., Sheex bedding and many more. Next spring Reebok and Jockey will launch a program dedicated to our brrrº technology.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
Earlier in my career, I was a senior sales executive at Spanx and I had worked at several fast-growing apparel companies like Von Dutch and TOMS Shoes. I was intrigued by how these little tiny fibers could support our bodies, stretch and move with us, and help us feel our best. I started thinking about what else fabric could do to make us feel better, and what if it could actually help keep us cooler? The idea for brrr° was born.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Being part of a period of stratospheric growth at Spanx was mind boggling and forced you to pivot and change your mindset constantly. When I joined the company, it was starting to get traction and distribution with retailers, and then all of a sudden celebrities were name-checking Spanx on the red carpet at the Oscars and it became part of the daily uniform for women. And then they expanded into pants and swimwear and men’s undergarments.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
brrr° had huge success right off the bat, with great media coverage and orders from Nieman Marcus and other retailers. We got sucked into the fashion world, and I remember one day we had a meeting where we were having this intense discussion about color trends and hemlines and what would be most popular next season. It struck me that we had strayed so far from our original vision of creating cooling fabric technology, and I had to make some difficult decisions to get us back on track. I brought in a new senior leadership team, recapitalized the company, and doubled down on R&D. It was the best mistake I’ve ever made, and the best corrective move I’ve ever made.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
So many people have been incredible supporters and advocates of brrr° that it’s hard to name just one. Chevy Arnold at EY has been one of my most ardent and vocal mentors, and she has helped nominate or suggest brrr° for several awards, accolades and other programs that help lift us up. I appreciate that I can call her anytime to ask anything and she will have something wise or profound to say. I call her my “Fairy Godsister.”
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
“Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World,” by Rand Fishkin. It’s brutal, it’s practical and ultimately it’s helpful and inspiring if you still have the guts to create a startup after reading it.
Do you have a favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
“Do the next right thing.” It means stay focused on what feels right for the business and for your as a leader right now, and get comfortable with the idea that what’s right is going to evolve and change over time so you need to keep adjusting too. Look for what’s right, and listen to your intuition.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
I’m such a fierce advocate for women, and one of my favorite things to do is talk with a woman who is at the dawn of her career and share what I’ve learned about being an entrepreneur and a CEO, about what it’s like to try to raise capital, about running a team, about the obstacles she’s going to face and what she can do to overcome them. Anything we can do to pay it forward to the next generation matters, and when we take the time to coach women, it has a real impact on their future careers, aspirations and lives.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this EY report, only about 20 percent of funded companies have women founders. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women to create companies. In your opinion and experience what is currently holding back women from founding companies?
It’s only been 100 years since women gained the right to vote, and women still only earn 81 cents for every dollar that a man earns. Women are still the primary child care providers and caregivers for elderly parents, and we do a disproportionate amount of managing family activities, cooking, housecleaning, driving to sports practices, and staying home with a sick child. Women entrepreneurs have a much harder time raising capital, and sometimes they have to fight to be heard in meetings, or be considered for promotions or to lead important projects.
Women need more support at home from their spouses and partners, and they also need more purposeful and intentional support from colleagues and advocate at work.
I feel incredibly lucky that my husband is truly a partner in every part of my life at home and at work. We work carefully to divide and conquer as we raise our kids, and we share the work of drop-offs and pickups at school and other activities, doing laundry, cleaning, cooking meals and running our household. Having a spouse with a genuine partner mindset is one of the big reasons that I am successful.
Can you share with our readers what you are doing to help empower women to become founders?
We have a very inclusive culture at brrr°, where every single employee has a seat at the table and a voice in the discussion. I seek out their opinions and appreciate the input, and even when I don’t agree with it, those different viewpoints help influence and shape my thinking and my own decision making.
We do everything we can to support work-life balance and peoples’ needs outside the home. If an employee is working on an advanced degree and needs a more flexible work schedule or virtual work setup, we work really hard to find a way to make that happen — and that was true before the pandemic. If someone needs to take time off to care for an ill relative or to pursue a life goal, we will do everything we can to give them all the support and flexibility they need.
It’s also important to proactively mentor women by making time to talk about what’s on their mind, questions they have, problems they encounter and don’t know how to address. Sometimes those 15-minute conversations have the biggest impact in developing a future leader.
This might be intuitive to you but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become founders?
Women are very observant, insightful, and intuitive. We are great at studying problems and finding solutions, and thinking of innovative ways to do things. We can multitask and get stuff done. We also understand the mindset and needs of more than half of the consumers in the country who are buying the products and services that businesses offer.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Can you please share 5 things that can be done or should be done to help empower more women to become founders? If you can, please share an example or story for each.
- Be the hedgehog, not the fox — In the old parable, hedgehogs are decisive and focused but the fox walks around all day checking things out and gets distracted.
- Delegate — Be relentless in getting non-essential tasks off your plate at work and at home so you can focus on higher-payback activities that create more value.
- Fail quickly & fail forward — When something’s clearly not working, identify it, own it, investigate what went wrong, and move quickly to change it.
- Hire the right people — Every employee should add distinct skills, expertise, passion and personality that enriches the culture of the company and makes the whole team stronger.
- Self reflect — Make time to think about how things are going, decisions you made and conversations you had, and reflect on what went well and what didn’t and what you would do differently next time.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
Create more angel funds and venture capital funds that specifically cater to women- and minority-owned startups and early stage companies!
We are very blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
I would love to have lunch with Andrea Hoffman, the Founder and CEO of Culture Shift Labs. She has faced significant adversity in her life, had real life problems and yet she still uses her entire platform to encourage and empower and be positive. Even when times are tough, you should learn from it and move on. She has done an incredible job of paying it forward.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Check us out online:
Blog: https://www.brrr.com/news/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brrrcool
Twitter: @brrrcooltech
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brrr-/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHhNN-WxmAYFvSfVH9kpX4Q
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Orginal article here
All-day Cooling Comfort with Striker brrr° Hoodies
For peak performance, fishermen need clothing and gear that are best-in-class.
That’s why we’re hooked on these long-sleeve hoody cooling performance shirts by Striker made with brrr° cooling fabric.
The Alpha brrr° hoody by Striker is an ultra-lightweight shirt that instantly and continuously draws heat and moisture away from the skin so fishermen can stay comfortable under the punishing heat from mother nature.
With superior wicking and active drying, the Alpha hoody has a four-way stretch from the nylon/spandex fabric blend and a relaxed fit for complete freedom of movement, making it one of the most comfortable hoodies in Striker’s Coolwave™ lineup.
The fabric offers UPF 50+ sun protection and a 3-panel hood to shield outdoorsmen from the sun’s damaging UVA and UVB rays.
A hidden sunglass cleaning cloth at the hem and saltwater-friendly non-corrosive materials make the Alpha brrr° hoody by Striker a year-round favorite for fishermen and other outdoor sports enthusiasts.
