PLEIN PUBLIQUE ❤ MERINO WOOL

Merino wool: we at Plein Publique just can’t get enough of it. And our numbers show that you’re a big fan, too! Merino wool is warm, soft, low-maintenance, and—last but not least—stylish, timeless, and absolutely gorgeous. We’ve put together a list of 7 fun and useful facts about merino wool. To keep your love for merino wool alive, and to give you the chance to fill in your clueless friend/sister/mom/coworker—after all, everyone deserves a love like that, right? And oh yeah, also to keep our colleague in charge of the numbers happy (Don’t f*** with Patries—she pays our salaries. Kisses x)

*Wondering why we’ve gathered exactly seven—and not 10—facts for you? There are seven beauties, seven wonders of the world, seven deadly sins, seven pillars of wisdom… as far as we’re concerned, this list fits right in :-).

1. MERINO WOOL DOESN’T ITCH

There’s a reason we’re mentioning this first: we scratch where it itches the most. The idea that wool is itchy is the biggest misconception about this wonderful natural product. But… just as no two people are the same, no two types of wool are the same either. If your skin is sensitive to wool, that doesn’t mean you can’t wear any type of wool at all. You just need to know what to look out for. As a general rule, wool from sheep in colder regions has a stiffer and thicker texture, which makes it itchier. For non-itchy wool, the same rule applies as for house prices: location, location, location.

The Merino sheep is native to Spain, and that warm climate is “hard-wired” into the genes of today’s generation of Merino sheep. Merino wool is now primarily harvested in regions with a similar climate, such as Australia and New Zealand. The wool “fiber” (which is actually hair) is longer, smoother, and finer, and therefore itches far less than, for example, Shetland wool, whose hairs are nearly four times as thick. The Shetland Islands are located somewhere between Scotland and Norway, so you can see why. When you choose merino wool, you’re choosing fine, soft, non-itchy wool.

2. MERINO WOOL IS SELF-CLEANING

Wow. That’s pretty amazing. Merino wool is naturally antibacterial and self-cleaning. Wool owes these properties to the layer of fat that coats each fiber. That layer of fat is called lanolin, and it’s what makes wool unique. Great stuff :-). The lanolin inhibits the fiber’s ability to absorb moisture and dirt, which remain on the surface rather than being absorbed into the fiber. The antibacterial effect comes from the proteins in the lanolin: they break down bacteria, thereby neutralizing odours.

Musty-smelling merino wool improves dramatically when you hang it outside to air out for a few hours. Especially in the fog, but the bathroom after a shower (indoor fog) also works wonders. Odours disappear like snow for the sun. Adieu, wet dog smell.

*Stubborn aftereffects of a garlic-laden feast? Spray your wool with our scented fabric spray to give your outdoor refresh an extra power boost.

3. MERINO WOOL IS MACHINE-WASHABLE

Duh. Of course you can wash merino wool in the washing machine. Just open the door and pop it in. But is it okay to actually turn the machine on like usual? What will it look like when it comes out of the wash? Like a felted pouf or a wad of steel wool? Don’t worry—if you follow the basic rules, you’ll be just fine. In principle, you don’t need to wash merino wool—just check out tip #2. But what if there’s a stain on your merino wool sweater? It won’t disappear on its own while airing it out, so sometimes you just can’t avoid using the washing machine. We’re happy to direct you to our FAQ on merino wool, where you can read all the ins and outs.

4. MERINO WOOL IS SUSTAINABLE

Okay, there’s sustainable and then there’s sustainable. These days, the term is thrown around left and right, and it’s not always clear exactly what it means. Unfortunately, sustainability has become a hollow marketing term. What we mean in this context is that merino wool lasts a long time. If you take good care of a merino wool garment, you’ll enjoy it for years to come. You won’t need to replace it with a new one for quality reasons, which automatically helps you “consume less” and thus prevent unnecessary strain on the environment.

Because no matter what fashion brands’ sustainability claims may say, even a responsible production process leaves its mark. The sustainability we’re referring to here is directly related to the lifespan of your merino wool garment, and you can maximize that lifespan by carefully following the washing and care instructions.

5. MERINO WOOL IS RECYCLABLE

You see it more and more these days: clothing made from recycled materials. Or clothing made using scrap materials, dead stock (leftover inventory), or second-grade items. In the case of wool—and therefore merino wool as well—this primarily involves the “fiber-to-fiber” method. Collected clothing and/or unsellable surplus stock from fashion brands are sorted, shredded, and reduced to fibers.

Yarn is then spun from these fibers, which can be used to produce new garments. In this way, the product remains within its own category of use— consumer textiles stay consumer textiles —rather than being drawn into a downward spiral toward lower levels of the supply chain (e.g., from consumer textiles to underlayment or insulation material).

Pure merino wool is ideally suited for this type of recycling—as for blends with other fibers, the industry is actively seeking the best way to separate the different fiber types in order to recover a pure base product from which new products can be made.

6. MERINO WOOL IS SUMMER-PROOF

Wool is known for keeping you warm. That’s because wool fibers are crimped: the tiny “air pockets” in the knit or woven fabric provide excellent temperature-regulating properties. This open structure also ensures that moisture (including sweat) evaporates easily. The layer of wool grease surrounding each fiber also prevents moisture from penetrating the fiber.

Merino wool breathes, just like your skin, so if you choose a lightweight, finely knitted merino wool garment in the summer, it will feel just as cool and comfortable as cotton of a similar weight. The more you know…

7. MERINO WOOL PROMOTES SLEEP

Finally, here’s a fun fact we’d like to share with you just for the sake of it. The University of Sydney conducted a study on students’ sleep patterns. It found that students in their early twenties fell asleep 4 minutes faster when wearing merino wool pajamas. By comparison: when dressed in merino wool, they fell asleep within 11 minutes; when dressed in cotton, it took 15 minutes before they drifted off. “Getting under the wool” takes on a whole new meaning :-)

What’s the point of this tidbit? None for us—just consider it a fun fact. Pajamas aren’t on our to-do list just yet.