MAPP MERINO

With it's natural softness, functionality, and unique comfort properties, Merino has never been so relevant to the way we live. MAPP Merino is a 100% natural fibre, sourced from the unpolluted Southern Alps of New Zealand. MAPP merino, the fabric we use for all our own label ranges, is made by the world's leading company in the production of high-performance technical jersey-knit merino fabric, Designer Textiles, based in Auckland, New Zealand.

We use two weights of MAPP merino fabric: 190 gsm for our baselayers, and 260 weight for our midlayers. The 190 weight is the premium choice for base layer and 1st layer garment applications and is the new global industry standard. The 260 weight is a 21 micron fabric designed for functionality and comfort. The non-pilling, superior knit-structure of Merino fine is the first choice for performance requirements in garment design for outdoor activities of all kinds. No other textile manufacturing company produces fabric of the quality and performance of Designer Textiles MAPP Merino.

In addition, by using MAPP Merino, we can ensure that our gear is made with the minimum possible environmental impact, and the maximum animal welfare standards. As we have said elsewhere, not all Merino is the same, and not all Merino growers use the same methods. We think MAPP merino, produced in Auckland, New Zealand, is the finest Merino fabric for outdoor gear you can get, and the bonus is that by using MAPP fabric, we can also ensure the highest possible animal welfare standards through MAPP's use of ZQUE merino wool.

ZQUE Yarn

New Zealand-grown Merino sheep are reared and run on high ground, where fly strike isn't the problem it is in Australia, so the practice of mulesing has always been comparatively rare. ZQUE accreditation takes matters several steps further, ensuring environmental, social and economic sustainability, animal welfare and traceability. ZQUE accreditation covers everything from "free range" conditions for the Merino sheep to the welfare of sheep dogs; from provision of shelter and comfort, to a strict no mulesing policy. Soil conservation and waste water disposal are also covered. Importantly, it provides long-term contracts for farmers so they can invest in their businesses. ZQUE is an accreditation process that takes responsibility for the total Merino production, and it is one of the first in the world.

Merino - the all-action fibre!

Apart from all the obvious reasons of comfort, odour-resistance, uv-protection, etc., recent research has revealed yet another reason why Merino is the fibre of choice for the ‘action-man’. According to a MAPP report, studies have shown decreased "activity" in rats wearing polyester and cotton/polyester blend underwear (Shafik 1993), but an enhanced ability in those wearing wool garments – proving wool truly is a performance fibre!

These results were related directly back to measurements of electrostatic potentials generated in certain bodily structures – which were absent in the case of wool and cotton garments, but up to 501.6 V/cm2 in subjects wearing garments containing polyester. Similar trends have also been observed in controlled studies on human subjects (Shafik 1996), with electrostatic potentials of up to 485 V/cm2 found in relevant areas of male subjects wearing polyester or polyesterblend garments. Again, performance was shown to be reduced in these subjects but unimpaired in those wearing wool or cotton.

We were fascinated! We always said that wearing merino made you more attractive, as anyone wearing merino was obviously someone of taste and intelligence, but it appears that it improves life in other quarters too!

Click here to visit the Zque merino Site for more information