Merino Wool: Evolved for Next to Skin Comfort
We’ve just launched our latest edition of the Composite fabric which now features 45% recycled polyester blended with Merino wool - it’s the evolution of our next-to-skin fabrics.
The Ideal Microclimate Next to Skin
When we think about next-skin-fabrics we think about 3 critical features for the environment between our bodies and our first layer of clothing:
Dry Microclimate: The ability to wick away liquid sweat and absorb sweat vapors. Cotton alone is good with vapors, but terrible at wicking liquid sweat. Meanwhile, 100% synthetics are great at moving liquid sweat, but cannot absorb moisture vapor creating a clammy environment.
Odor Control: The airspace between our skin and our garments creates a humid, warm microclimate - perfect for bacterial growth. Bacteria is the primary cause of body odor, and smelly garments. The way to prevent odor growth is:
Inhibiting bacterial growth (e.g. Zn+ used in Juno)
Absorbing their odors (S.Cafe in Responsive and Atlas Socks)
Preventing an environment for Bacterial Growth: (Wool)
Softness: Highly subjective, but also incredibly important. We've developed a few ways to make sure that these fabrics are desirable next-to-skin.
Merino: Evolved For Next-T-Skin Wear
What is unique about Merino wool as a natural fiber, is that unlike cotton and linen, it has evolved over millions to become the ideal, next-to-skin fiber for sheep who have similar requirements to us as mammals.
An electron micrograph of multiple different types of natural and synthetic fibers.
Wool fibers are made of keratin a protein, and lanolin an oil.
Wool creates a dry microclimate.
To understand how wool achieves this let's discuss it's physical properties.
Wool is made of Protein and Oils: Keratin is the primary protein in wool, and it's the same as the proteins found in our fingernails and human hair. Additionally, much like our skin, sheep secrete an oil - Lanolin - that coats the fibers. Most of this gets washed off during the preparation of wool - but some remain. These oils (lipids) are generally not hospitable for bacterial growth.
Keratin is Hygroscopic: Wool fibers are hygroscopic, meaning they have the ability to absorb moisture vapor into the fiber. Merino wool can absorb about 36% of its weight in moisture, while still being able to wick liquid sweat, unlike cotton. This creates a very dry environment that is inhospitable to bacterial growth - this is the primary reason wool doesn't smell compared to polyester or cotton which create humid (polyester) or wet (cotton) environments in the presence of sweat.
Scales & Fibrils and Washable wool: Merino yarns have a unique surface structure that features "scales" which allows wool to be felted and turned into yarns. It's also one of the reasons regular wool shrinks. These scales give wool a matte appearance - like a stealth aircraft - they deflect light in multiple directions. Our wool is "washable wool" in which the surface been smoothened slightly to prevent the "ratcheting" process that happens in the washer and makes it less scratchy.
Size & Softness: A key determining aspect of softness is the size of the fiber. Finer fibers are less likely to exert a concentrated force on our skin's surface receptors. However, larger diameter fibers are more durable so it's a balance.
Ultrafine (<15.5 microns)
Superfine / Extra-Fine (15.5-19.5 microns)
Fine Merino (>19.5 microns)
We use usually use "Extra-Fine" Merino for a balance of softness and durability.
Australian Merino: The wool from our merino containing products (3DPK Merino, Atlas Merino, and Composite) feature wool from Merino sheep - a breed known for their long but fine fibers which leads to softness, less pilling, and greater durability.
Blending it Together:
When we develop garments and fabrics, we engineer them for optimal performance which balances comfort, performance, and ease of care. Synthetics give excellent moisture wicking (liquid), wrinkle resistance and prevent shrinkage. Merino wool gives odor control and a dry microclimate and warmth in higher blends:
3DPK Merino: 50% Recycled Polyester / 50% Merino Wool: A high wool ratio gives warmth, while polyester prevents shrinkage.
ATLAS Merino: 44% Extra-fine Merino wool, 36% Outlast acrylic, 19% S.Cafe nylon, 1% Spandex, nylon provides a slick interior for easy on / off.
Composite Merino Tee: 45% Recycled Polyester, 45% Spun Polyester, 10% Merino wool. The new Composite is majority spun poly (very soft), with just enough merino for odor control and a matte, natural aesthetic.
We don’t take stances on being on pro-synthetic or anti-natural fibers, we just seek to use the best material for the specific application. The best fabrics are often blends of materials as they allow us to tune the right amount of each property for each situation.