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Performance
Qualities like high insulation and low air permeability have made merino a favourite for outdoor apparel, while its moisture transport gives athletes an edge in performance.
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| Performance
Merino has a range of attributes that help mountaineers and elite athletes perform at their peak, but the same qualities can make life more comfortable for the Sunday rambler and the midweek tennis player.
Merino’s warmth has been a literal life-saver but its breathability is possibly more remarkable, buffering changes in the microclimate to maintain body temperature in a range that is optimal for performance and preservation.
Its amazing capacity to absorb moisture helps rid the skin of uncomfortable sweat, and its natural odour resistance will get high marks from companions on a walk through the rainforest.
Water repellence helps keep you dry, and its anti-static properties prevent garments clinging, a common and unwelcome tendency of synthetic garments.
Merino doesn’t just perform. It out-performs.
Anti-static
Merino is naturally in tune with your body's bioelectrical fields so it's much less likely to cling to your body.
Breathability
In extreme exertion, you need a garment that 'breathes', which means it must be able to absorb perspiration and release it into the air. No fabric does that quite like Merino.
The hydrophilic core of the Merino fibre has an amazing capacity to absorb liquid - up to 35% of its own weight - so it's better than synthetics at removing sweat from the skin, moving it away, and releasing it as vapour.
Multi-climate
While cotton is a passive fibre, Merino is active, reacting to changes in your body temperature to keep you warm when you're cold but releasing heat and moisture when you're hot.
Controlled Felting
Controlled felting, “milling” or “fulling” is a finishing treatment used on Australian merino wool to achieve a number of effects including increased thickness, reduced air permeability and increased strength.
Elasticity
The natural elasticity of the Merino fibre means they stretch with the wearer, but then return to their natural shape so you never have to worry about garments sagging or losing their shape.
Handle and Drape
Australian merino has excellent natural handle. Its renowned drape is due to the fineness of the fibres as well as the natural elasticity and resilience of merino.
Moisture absorption
Australian Merino wool has much greater capacity to absorb moisture vapour, which is why it has excellent breathability.
Odour reducing
Bacteria are attracted to positively-charged smooth surfaces of a synthetic fibre while the neutral, scaled surface of a Merino fibre holds no appeal. This explains why Merino garments can be worn for extended periods without acquiring unpleasant odours.
Softness
Prickly wool clothing is a thing of the past. Merino is much finer than other types of wool and feels luxuriously gentle against your skin.
Sweat/moisture removal
Merino is more effective than synthetics at absorbing sweat next to the skin, and moving it away to evaporate, helping to keep you cool and dry during exertion.
Warmth
The thermal insulation provided by a fabric bears little relationship to the thermal insulation of the fibres within the fabric. This is due to the fact that the thermal insulation of textile fibres is actually much poorer than air. Indeed, the thermal conductivity of air is ten times lower than most textile fibres.
Water Repellant
While the core of the Merino fibre is hydrophilic and capable of absorbing up to a third of its dry weight in moisture vapour, the surface of Merino is hydrophobic. That is, it repels liquids.
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Comfort
Much finer than other types of wool, merino is as soft as silk next to the skin, and naturally conforms to the body. It also works to keep you warm when it’s cold, and cool when you’re hot.
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| Comfort
Fashion isn’t just about how you look but how you feel, and merino has numerous natural attributes that make it one of the most comfortable of fabrics to wear.
Its superfine fibres feel like silk next to the skin, and its natural elasticity means that a merino garment moves with you.
It also has the ability to respond to changes in temperature, keeping you warm when it’s cold, or absorbing moisture and releasing it as you exert yourself.
Winter or summer, merino has you feeling great.
Breathability
In extreme exertion, you need a garment that 'breathes', which means it must be able to absorb perspiration and release it into the air. No fabric does that quite like Merino.
The hydrophilic core of the Merino fibre has an amazing capacity to absorb liquid - up to 35% of its own weight - so it's better than synthetics at removing sweat from the skin, moving it away, and releasing it as vapour.
Multi-climate
While cotton is a passive fibre, Merino is active, reacting to changes in your body temperature to keep you warm when you're cold but releasing heat and moisture when you're hot.
Elasticity
The natural elasticity of the Merino fibre means they stretch with the wearer, but then return to their natural shape so you never have to worry about garments sagging or losing their shape.
Health
Australian Merino has a number of health benefits including improved sleep for the general population, greater weight gain and reduced risk of SIDS for babies, and lower incidence of microbial infection for hospital patients.
Softness
Prickly wool clothing is a thing of the past. Merino is much finer than other types of wool and feels luxuriously gentle against your skin.
Sweat/moisture removal
Merino is more effective than synthetics at absorbing sweat next to the skin, and moving it away to evaporate, helping to keep you cool and dry during exertion.
Warmth
The thermal insulation provided by a fabric bears little relationship to the thermal insulation of the fibres within the fabric. This is due to the fact that the thermal insulation of textile fibres is actually much poorer than air. Indeed, the thermal conductivity of air is ten times lower than most textile fibres.
Wicking
Merino wool is weakly wicking in its natural state, making it ideal for socks, but this behaviour can be increased or decreased by the application of different finishing treatments.
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Natural
In an era of global warming, a massive opportunity exists to draw consumers away from petrochemical-based synthetics to natural renewable fibres like merino.
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| Natural
Though it perfectly serves humankind, merino hasn’t been concocted by a scientist in a sterile laboratory. It’s been evolved literally “in the field” over time. A long time. More than a million years.
Every season a new man-made fibre is trumpeted as the latest breakthrough, but scientific analysis debunks most of the claims, and comparative testing reveals the newcomer can’t touch merino for all-round performance.
The world’s finest fibre is still 100% natural merino, and, in our environmentally conscious times, its sustainability and biodegradability are highly marketable properties.
Renewable, biodegradable
Unlike petrochemical-based synthetics or water-resource heavy cotton, merino is a renewable resource. Shear a merino in the morning, and in the afternoon they're happily nibbling their way towards next season's clip.
Merino garments are often cherished for decades but ultimately they are biodegradable and return to their natural elements, unlike most synthetics.
Polyester and nylon demand unsustainable quantities of energy and water, and cotton accounts for 25% of all pesticides used globally. Merino, though, can be produced with minimal environment impact. |
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Easy Care
In an era of global warming, a massive opportunity exists to draw consumers away from petrochemical-based synthetics to natural renewable fibres like merino.
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| Easy care
Wool has a “handwash” reputation but merino has a natural resilience and modern merino fabrics are truly easy-care.
A resistance to stains and odours means merino garments can be washed less frequently than cotton or synthetic equivalents.
Innate elasticity gives merino uncommon durability, and means it won’t require the ironing that makes cotton so high maintenance.
What’s more, with modern advances in manufacture, the machine-washable suit is now a reality.
Anti-wrinkle
Each fibre is effectively a coil spring that returns to its natural shape after being bent, giving Merino garments a natural resistance to wrinkles.
Durable
Merino fibres can be bent 20,000 times without breaking which explains why merino garments are so long-lasting.
Machine washable
Recent innovations mean Merino garments are no longer hand-wash only. Developments initiated by Australian Wool Innovation have delivered Merino garments that can be machine-washed and tumble dried. In fact, the world's first machine-washable wool suit is now available.
Odour reducing
Bacteria are attracted to positively-charged smooth surfaces of a synthetic fibre while the neutral, scaled surface of a Merino fibre holds no appeal. This explains why Merino garments can be worn for extended periods without acquiring unpleasant odours.
Quick drying
It's a misconception that synthetics dry at a faster rate than merino, and merino can now be manufactured in forms that are genuinely quick-drying.
Stain resistant
The crimp and scaly outer layer of a merino fibre prevents 80% of stains from being absorbed. And as it's static-resistant, it picks up less dust and lint from the air.
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Style
Always a favourite of tailors because it drapes like a dream, merino is now seen on the catwalk because new fabrics can be supersoft, featherlight and translucent.
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| Style
The merino fibre has a wide range of attributes that make it the stylistic choice of the world’s leading fashion designers.
It’s supersoft, drapes beautifully, and has a natural elasticity that means it effortlessly follows the form of the body.
Tailors love working with it because it cuts cleanly, won’t crush with handling, and responds instantly to ironing.
It’s trans-seasonal, can be woven or knitted and, by working with Australian Wool Innovation, you can massage merino into whatever form best suits your artistic vision.
Anti-static
Merino is naturally in tune with your body's bioelectrical fields so it's much less likely to cling to your body.
Multi-climate
While cotton is a passive fibre, Merino is active, reacting to changes in your body temperature to keep you warm when you're cold but releasing heat and moisture when you're hot.
Colour
Merino has a delightful hue, and, when dyed, a Merino garment is colourfast.
Controlled Felting
Controlled felting, “milling” or “fulling” is a finishing treatment used on Australian merino wool to achieve a number of effects including increased thickness, reduced air permeability and increased strength.
Elasticity
The natural elasticity of the Merino fibre means they stretch with the wearer, but then return to their natural shape so you never have to worry about garments sagging or losing their shape.
Handle and Drape
Australian merino has excellent natural handle. Its renowned drape is due to the fineness of the fibres as well as the natural elasticity and resilience of merino.
Permanent press
Merino can be permanently set by the use of temperature and moisture, giving designers the freedom to create a wide range of shapes and styles.
Softness
Prickly wool clothing is a thing of the past. Merino is much finer than other types of wool and feels luxuriously gentle against your skin.
Tailorability
The fact that it doesn't fray and pins don't mark it are just two of the reasons that make merino a delight to work with. |
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Safety
Merino has naturally high UV protection, is fire- and acid-resistant, and can even be bullet-proof. It’s antibacterial qualities have application in hospital and infant bedding.
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| Safety
During the last million years, the merino sheep has been exposed to chilling winters and literally blazing summers.
It’s not surprising then that its fleece has been found to have a number of attributes that help sustain life in hazardous environments.
Merino offers naturally high UV protection and fire resistance, and, after recent innovations, even has application in bulletproof vests.
Anti-static
Merino is naturally in tune with your body's bioelectrical fields so it's much less likely to cling to your body.
Ballistic protection
While ballistic vests have typically been made out of Para-aramid or Ultra High Modulus Polyethylene fibres, Merino is now being used to create lighter vests that are more breathable and allow greater manoeuvrability without comprising their bullet-proof qualities.
Controlled Felting
Controlled felting, “milling” or “fulling” is a finishing treatment used on Australian merino wool to achieve a number of effects including increased thickness, reduced air permeability and increased strength.
Fire resistance
Merino insulates against high temperatures and doesn't readily catch fire. Even when it does, it self-extinguishes when the source of flame is removed. More importantly, when merino burns it doesn't melt and stick to the skin. That's why fire-fighters' uniforms are made from merino and why it's an excellent fabric for bedding.
Handle and Drape
Australian merino has excellent natural handle. Its renowned drape is due to the fineness of the fibres as well as the natural elasticity and resilience of merino.
Health
Australian Merino has a number of health benefits including improved sleep for the general population, greater weight gain and reduced risk of SIDS for babies, and lower incidence of microbial infection for hospital patients.
Moisture absorption
Australian Merino wool has much greater capacity to absorb moisture vapour, which is why it has excellent breathability.
UV Protection
Testing of various textiles shows that merino has a natural UV protection factor of 30+ in more than 70% of cases, much higher than most synthetics and cotton. For harsh summers, merino activewear helps protect against the sun's potentially deadly rays.
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