Benefits of merino wool in base layers and training clothes

A material that warms you when it's cold, cools you when it's warm, doesn't smell when you sweat and rarely needs washing. It may sound like a material of the future, but you'll find all those qualities in merino wool.

Merino wool is one of nature's own super materials and is perfectly suited for base layers and other types of garments used in harsh weather conditions. Plus, you don't have to worry about it being itchy.

- Merino wool is extremely soft for wool. It warms even if it gets wet, and breathes extremely well. It also has the properties that if it's cold outside, it warms you, and if it's hot outside, it cools you down. You also don't have to worry about your clothes smelling like sweat, as merino wool is inherently antibacterial without treatment. And since the bacteria do not get a foothold in the merino wool fibers, you do not need to wash the garment so often, the best washing advice is to hang the garment up to air overnight and then just use it again, says Per Swartling, sales manager in Sweden for the clothing brand Icebreaker, which specializes in merino wool garments.


Merino sheep live in the wild and are shorn once a year. You can find all our merino wool base layers here.

Merino wool comes from the Merino sheep breed, which is specially bred for its soft and fine fur. Originally from Spain, the largest flocks of these braying, woolly animals are found in Australia and New Zealand. The New Zealand company Icebreaker makes its clothing from the wool of Merino sheep that roam and graze freely in the mountains, where the unique climate helps give theirras fur long, smooth fibers that minimize itching. In September each year, the sheep are shorn, and the fur is sorted intoras wool, which is then used for merino garments.

Are there fake merino garments?

- No. Many people write that a base layer is made of merino wool, but when you look at the label it turns out that it is only made of 50 percent merino wool and the rest synthetic material. And as soon as you get up to 20 to 25 percent synthetic material in a merino wool garment, you lose the property that the fabric is guaranteed to be odorless. It's very rare to mix merino wool with regular wool because it's so obvious, it will itch.

Kan can you track the wool on Icebreaker and see how the sheep have been doing?

- Yes, we have almost 200 farmers that we have contracted in New Zealand in the South Island. We do regular spot checks to make sure the ethical rules are being followed. If the sheep get sick or attacked by blue flies, we medicate them, and we take great care of the landscapes where the sheep graze.ras Everyone who works with us is well trained and it is checked that all working conditions are respected. This also applies to our factories in China, which have EU standards for working conditions. All this means that we pay a higher price for the wool, but we get better quality.

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