NATURAL AIRCON
Merino buffers the body’s microclimate in changing conditions, maintaining comfort through natural air conditioning. Merino is constantly seeking to achieve equilibrium between the external environment, and the internal environment adjacent to the wearer by absorbing and desorbing moisture and releasing or absorbing heat depending on external conditions.
Merino can hold up to 33% of its own weight in water without feeling damp. This enables a Merino garment to absorb moisture vapour as you sweat, increasing the time before the sweat condenses to a liquid form and makes you feel uncomfortable.
As Merino absorbs moisture the fibres release a small but perceptible amount of heat, known as ‘heat of sorption’. This acts to prevent the chilling of the wearer, and is reversible as the fabric dries in hotter conditions – effectively cooling the wearer when they need it most!
COMFORT
Prickle is the result of coarse fibres activating the nano-receptors (the nerves that sense physical stimuli) within the skin’s surface. Merino’s fine fibres bend easily when in contact with the skin surface and this irritation does not occur. Thus preventing the prickle often associated with traditional wool.
FIRE SAFETY
Wool is naturally flame-retardant and self-extinguishing, that is it puts itself out. As a result, wool is used in many areas where flammability is a safety issue, for example, children’s products. Also, it does not melt as many synthetic fibres do when they burn.
RENEWABLE, NATURAL
Merino is an annually renewable, natural product. It is highly durable, but also biodegradable at the end of its life. It is produced in free range farming systems, which are animal and environmentally friendly. The average sheep produces seven fleeces in its lifetime – enough for around 35 next to skin products.
EASY CARE
Merino’s natural resilience (it can be bent 30,000 times without danger of breaking or damage) gives it outstanding wrinkle recovery. Merino products can be machine washed and are quick to dry.
ODOUR
Merino garments are valued for their low propensity to smell bad. Body odour arises as a by-product of bacteria, which thrive in warm moist environments - for example, when sweat is allowed to remain on the skin for a period of time. One way in which Merino resists the build up of bacteria and associated odours is by actively moving moisture away from the skin, creating an unfavourable environment for bacterial growth. The unique surface structure and chemistry of Merino fibre also gives it a degree of microbial resistance.
UV PROTECTION FACTOR
Overexposure to ultraviolet radiation from our sun can have adverse effects of our health. The degree to which clothing offers protection from this radiation varies greatly depending upon construction but Merino fibre has been shown to be a very efficient absorber of potentially harmful UV-A and UV-B radiation. Summer-weight Merino garments have been consistently shown to offer a higher degree of UV protection than fabrics constructed of other fibres.