Merino Wool Knitwear Guide

Merino wool is highly prized in the clothing industry for its fineness and the softness of the fabric it produces, creating a material that sits comfortably next to the skin. From our base layers to knitwear, we can't shout enough about how great Merino is; whether you’re 2,000 metres up, emerging from frigid waters or find yourself on a windswept cliff top.

What is Merino Wool?

Merino wool is a natural fibre grown by Merino sheep. From its moisture-wicking and antibacterial properties to its breathability, softness and warmth, Merino wool is a fantastic material for keeping you cool when exerting energy, and warm when you’re not.

How is Merino Wool knitwear produced?

Natural, renewable and traceable, our Merino is produced sustainably with low environmental impact, all coming from guaranteed non-mulesed sheep. We even have our own small flock of British Merino sheep, as you can learn more about on our British Wool Guide.

What does non-mulesed mean? Mulesing is a painful process carried out on sheep to prevent an infestation of Flystrike. It involves stripping the skin from a sheep’s backside to stop flies from laying eggs in the sheep’s wool. It is a painful process for the animal and, in many cases, the sheep still get Flystrike after being mulesed. As part of our exclusive commitment to cruelty-free, sustainable fabrics, we have always used non-mulesed wool for all of our Merino base layers and knitwear.

Perfecting our best Merino base layer blend...

Our moisture-wicking, thermoregulating Merino Wool Base Layers are made using an extensively tried-and-tested blend of 80% Merino and 20% Polyamide.

When we first launched our Merino range, we began with 100% Merino Wool products. We quickly learned, however, that the lifespan of pure Merino products wasn't ideal, with the fabric twisting and laddering when worn and washed over time. Following repeated experiments and direct feedback from our customers, we have since refined our range to incorporate the perfect balance of Polyamide. This blend vastly improves strength and durability without affecting the softness of the Merino.

It’s a constant challenge to weigh up durability over our footprint and we continue our mission to create lasting products which have as little impact on the earth as possible. Sometimes nature’s designs just need a helping hand and we believe that wool, as wonderful as it is, gets even better when you add a bit of man-made.

Benefits of Merino Wool

Wool has always been at the heart of our fabric story, and we use Merino in our range for a variety of different products. From Winter knitwear, to beanies, socks and base-layer, we’re constantly championing the benefits of this incredible natural fibre:

1. Incredibly soft and fine to the touch

2. Antibacterial and anti-odour properties - meaning less washing!

3. Highly breathable

4. Able to wick moisture away from the body

How to care for your Merino Wool base layer

Our base layers retain their shape, are sustainable and odour resistant, lasting longer between washes so you save water and energy. Whilst Merino is antibacterial and can be washed less often, this is a base layer that goes next to your skin, not a jumper. It’s going to need washing. So, here are a few tips for keeping your Merino base layers in top shape.

• Wash at 30°C on a gentle wool cycle with similar colours, keep it on a low spin - max 400.

• Turn your Merino wool garment inside out when washing as this will help prevent it from pilling.

• Do not dry clean or tumble dry.

• Do not bleach or use fabric softener.

• Line dry only away from direct heat.

• Flat dry Merino jumpers as this will help to keep their shape.

• Use a cool iron only if you feel you need to.

• Avoid wringing any Merino wool garment as it will stretch and twist the fabric.

• Our blend does contain synthetic fibres to strengthen the material so, while we’re searching for better alternatives, you may want to invest in a guppy bag for now.