Our Merino Story
merino wool: the world's wonder fibre!
Babu merino products have a good reputation with hundreds of positive reviews and many return customers saying it's the best merino they have purchased, lasts longer, wears better and is softer than other high-profile and ‘premium’ brands. So what is it about Babu merino that gets customers returning year after year?
With a range that has been around for over 20 years now, we have become experts in bringing you premium merino garments. We want our products to feel luxurious, last a long time, and be sure that it meets our ethos and is genuinely ‘made nicely’.
what is merino wool?
Merino is named after a breed of sheep breed originally from Spain and offers the finest wool in the world. Years of innovative breeding have resulted in some ultra-fine Merino wools to be naturally even finer than cashmere. We source our merino from both Australian and New Zealand Wool farms.
The woolly coat is shorn from the sheep annually, it is then ‘classed’ (a form of grading), sent to be processed into yarn (cleaned, spun, dyed) and then either woven, knitted or felted into the varying types of fashion and utility fabrics. Because merino is so soft and fine, it is used for high-quality, soft-handling fabrics and knitting yarns.
Merino wool is the world's finest and softest wool.
Its benefits are so great that no other fibre, natural or man-made, can match it.
Merino wool has a unique scale structure, with differing patterns depending on the animal which they come from. Cellulosic fibres – cotton, silk and linen – and synthetic fibres such as polyester do not have these unique scales. These scales (or crimp) are important for protection, felting behaviour and the handle of finished products such as apparel. They also provide a natural water-resistant surface, breathability, and odour resistance.
the natural magic of merino
Breathability/ Temperature Regulation
Unlike synthetics, wool is an active fibre that reacts to changes in body temperature. Its natural crimp provides superior insulation, keeping the wearer warm in cold environments, whilst the ability to transfer moisture away from the skin cools the wearer down in hot environments. This is amazing for babies since they cannot naturally regulate their body temperature as well as adults.
Odour Resistance/ Moisture Control
Wool fibres can absorb large amounts of water vapour, 30 times as much as polyester and twice as much as cotton, helping to keep skin drier and preventing the build-up of sweat, bacteria, and odours. The unique chemical structure of wool also enables it to absorb and lock away odours that may develop, and only release them on washing. This means wool garments can be worn longer before needing to be washed, perfect for babies and children that already go through a lot of washing!
it feels amazing
Merino wool is the finest and softest wool in the world. Its benefits are so great that no other fibre - natural or man-made - can match it.
The softness of our merino comes from how fine the fibres are, measured in microns. A human hair is around 70 microns, and for the Babu base merino range, we've chosen a tiny 18.5 microns- more than 3 times finer! Placing our wool in the superfine category of merino.
Image source: Woolmark.com
Gentle on Sensitive Skin and Eczema
Wearing superfine merino wool significantly improves the severity and symptoms of eczema, challenging misconceptions that all wool is prickly and itchy. This is hugely important for us since we know that babies are prone to eczema and skin irritation. Three recent dermatology trials have shown that infant, adolescent, and adult eczema sufferers have reported reduced symptoms when wearing superfine merino wool garments next to the skin.
Sleep Better in Merino
Research proves that wool helps maintain a more stable body temperature and combat sweating, thereby making a more comfortable sleep environment. In particular, wool has been shown to provide superior buffering of heat and moisture changes compared to other fibre types. This enables wool to protect against low or high temperatures and high humidity that have been shown to detrimentally affect sleep.
kind to mother nature
Additionally to being a terrific material to make garments, wool is also an environmentally friendly choice. It's natural and renewable, biodegradable, is kept the longest in our closets, and is the most recyclable fibre on the planet out of the major apparel fibres.
100% Natural and Renewable
Sheep grow wool naturally and continuously – it is part of their biological anatomy. Unlike synthetics which are industrially produced from non-renewable fossil energy, natural fibres are a natural process using a simple blend of natural ingredients. For wool this is water, air, sunshine and grass.
Natural fibres are renewable, meaning that they are able to regrow and replace themselves.
100% Biodegradable
When wool is disposed of, it will naturally decompose in soil in a matter of months or years, slowly releasing valuable nutrients back into the earth. Synthetic fibres, on the other hand, can be extremely slow to degrade and significantly contribute to the world’s overflowing landfills. Wool also biodegrades in a marine environment and does not contribute to microplastic pollution. In contrast, microfibres from synthetic textiles (microplastics) accumulate in marine environments, as well as terrestrial environments, where they damage ecosystems.
Long-lasting and Recyclable
How often clothes are worn is the most influential factor in determining environmental impacts of clothing. Wool garments are, on average, kept in use for longer periods of time than garments made from other fibre types. Wool’s attributes are so highly valued that, even after a garment has finished its long service life with one person, the fibre is still suitable to be kept in use so many other ways through recycling.
Some facts and information were sourced from Woolmark.com