LifeLabs, the material science company founded in a Stanford University laboratory, has been awarded the prestigious Best Product Award in ISPO’s Fall/Winter TEXTRENDS for its new AI-CLO System WarmLife® Merino Wool Insulated Fill. Overall, seven AI-CLO system products from LifeLabs received ISPO awards across three different categories. The ISPO Awards represent the finest in innovation and design within the sports industry and are decided upon by a jury of international and independent experts.
WarmLife®, which was named the Best Product winner in ISPO’s Membranes and Coatings category, is a proprietary technology that is used to create warmer breathable apparel using less material. The crucial ingredient in WarmLife is a nano-metallic coating that reflects radiant body heat directly back into the wearer’s skin to deliver the same warmth as items that use 30% more insulating material.
“We are honored to have our WarmLife® technology named Best Product in the Membranes and Coatings category by ISPO and to see so many of our products receive awards from the ISPO jury,” said Sophia Ou, CEO and Co-Founder of LifeLabs&YiLab. “Through the years, ISPO Awards have been bestowed upon designs that have altered the course of product development in the outdoor industry. With the superior performance, environmental value, and endless innovation of AI-CLO System thermal and cooling fabrics, we are excited to continue our journey toward becoming a leader in eco-friendly performance textiles that help empower global outdoor sports brands.”
The AI-CLO System from LifeLabs is designed to regulate body temperature and reduce energy consumption. It uses two advanced patented technologies, WarmLife® and CoolLife®, to provide temperature control solutions for functional clothing across environmental conditions ranging from -65°C to +45°C.
An ultra-packable and breathable fabric, WarmLife® is created from 97% recycled and bio content, and the nano-metallic coating in the material uses less than one paper clip worth of metal. It’s also 30% lighter and uses 30% less material than comparable items of similar warmth for a better warmth-to-weight ratio. (*) Not only can WarmLife® reflect the wearer’s body heat in cold conditions, but it can release excess body heat after activity to help maintain a smart balance of body temperature and deliver optimal comfort. In addition to being used in a non-woven insulation blended with merino wool—as in the case of the fabric that won the ISPO Best Product Award—WarmLife® can also be used as a laminated textile.
The Al-CLO temperature control technology system of fibers and textiles from LifeLabs also includes a second patented technology called CoolLife®. The world’s first thermally transparent fabric, CoolLife® continuously cools the body more than any other material. It is cooler to the touch than organic cotton, and with half the environmental impact. (**) The AI-CLO System CoolLife® Full Dull Nylon Polyethylene Single Mesh Interlock Fabric was named one of ISPO’s Top 10 Products in the Base Layer category.
WarmLife® and CoolLife® are powered by Yi Cui’s Lab at Stanford University
Both WarmLife® and CoolLife® technologies were developed over more than three years of laboratory and field testing by Professor Yi Cui（Director of Stanford’s Sustainability Accelerator). He understood that 14% of global energy consumption comes from heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC). He developed the AI-CLO temperature technologies—which feature 14 global patents—to help reduce the heavy burden of HVAC energy on the grid.
“The outdoor sports industry is inherently motivated to help provide solutions to the world’s largest environmental problems,” said Professor Cui. “It is an honor to receive the ISPO award, as it motivates my team to continue their search for solutions that enable people to live a better and more comfortable life, whilst reducing their personal carbon footprint and impact on the world.”
To determine the ISPO award winners for Fall/Winter 2026/27, jurists met in Munich in October 2024 to select the best products from many entries across the world of sports product design. The jury consisted of a variety of representatives from the sportswear industry, including textile designers, trend experts and journalists.
* Measured using the HotPlate ASTM F1868 test, the standard test method for thermal and evaporative resistance of clothing materials
** CoolLife® tests included: Qmax test, Thermal Manikin test and Wicking test
