Scientific tests carried out by the Hohenstein Institute in Germany, the Ergonomics Unit at the Polytechnic Institute of Wales, and the CSIRO in Australia support anecdotal evidence that Superfine Merino provides the wearer with superior overall climate control and moisture absorption than synthetics. Studies have also confirmed that merino offers higher natural UV protection than many other fibres including cotton.

Well-known for its warmth, it is less well known that the same properties makes Merino the idea fabric for hot weather. The Bedouin tribes of the Sinai, where temperatures reach extreme highs, have been wrapping themselves in wool for centuries. The merino works as a condition buffer; in the heat cooling the body initially through managing the build up moisture vapour internally, keeping the wearer drier for longer. Then, by not clinging to the skin even when wet, the fabric allows the skin to still do it's job through sweating and cooling the body.

In an article for Planet Fear Andy Kirkpatrick said this of a merino base layer he was asked to test:

"Sheep aren’t stupid; if they were, how did they come up with probably the most advanced natural and robust insulation on the planet? The thing is that when you compare millions of years of evolution with a century of fabric and chemical engineering, synthetics just haven’t hit all the bases. They may never do. They may be cheaper and easier to mass produce, but they’re not easier to care for and they don’t perform to
the high standard of Merino.

The New Zealand Merino sheep is the source of nearly all performance wool clothing. This isn’t surprising as it lives in New Zealand’s Southern Alps and, like the Siberian Husky, comes with a clothing system designed to keep it alive when all other animals would drop down dead or freeze to the spot. And, unlike synthetics, Merino actually gets warmer when wet. That’s why it’s being used for the most advanced wet suits as a lining. For wet hills and mountains the sheep has got it sorted. Yet we all seem to have accepted that synthetics are as good as it gets, swallowing all those wicking diagrams and chemical processes needed to keep you dry.

Due to the harsh climate the Merino has developed a fleece that can withstand both seriously cold winter temperatures and the extreme summer heat, with the superfine nature of its wool fibres being the secret. Each Merino produces enough wool to create about five pieces of clothing a year (there are 60,000 wool follicles per square inch of skin, producing over 100 million individual fibres in each fleece). When you take both that and he difficulties in managing sheep in such wild locations, you can see why Merino wool isn’t cheap and carries a premium price tag.”

What's so special about New Zealand Merino wool? The Merino sheep has been bred for its wool for over 2000 years and has many different strains around the world, but the world's best merino fibre comes from a small Merino population bred in isolation in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. The climatic extremes and isolation of this harsh rugged landscape have led to the development of a very special fibre, New Zealand Merino, which is unrivalled in softness, purity and strength. New Zealand's unpolluted alpine environment, majestic merino and innovative growing systems combine to produce the world's most exclusive fibre - New Zealand Merino.

New Zealand Merino is one of the purest, most ecological fibres. Only environmentally responsible, energy-efficient and safe production methods are used in its manufacture. New Zealand farmers use scientific land management techniques, and pay careful attention to flock rotation, animal welfare and the environment. Sheep are raised in a clean, green, unpolluted climate - natural advantages that enable them to consistently grow superior wool. No internationally banned pesticides are used on New Zealand sheep farms; and since 1993, New Zealand's already very low pesticide levels have been cut in half, making New Zealand's sheep one of the world's greenest animal husbandry systems.

In addition, our own label Merino clothing range is made using only fabric from Designer Textiles, who in turn only use Zque accredited wool. The Zque brand was dedveloped by the New Zealand Merino Company as a way to show customers that Merino growers produce wool in a sustainable and ethical manner, and because the system of accreditation is audited by a third-party, it provides greater transparency and credibility. The Zque scheme does not offer single-farm traceability because wools have to be blended to produce the best yarn. However a manufacturer, like Designer Textiles, can track and identify a group of growers that supplied wool into a particular contract. So none of this "we can trace the wool in your clothing to the exact sheep it came from" nonsense! For nonsense it is.

With regard to climate change, there has been little research on greenhouse gas emission and carbon footprinting specific to Merino farming and there is no calculator by which farmers can work out their carbon footprint. However logically, large-scale extensive farming comapres favourably with oil-based synthetics and other more intensive natural fibre productions, such as cotton. What is certain is that wool is more energy-efficient than synthetics. A Life Cycle Assessment showed that Merino farms use much less energy to produce a kilogram of fibre than synthetic manufacturers, and this includes exporting to the other side of the world. Merino is therefore ahead of synthetics in being environmentally sustainable.

New Zealand Merino fibres are long, strong, flexible and extremely fine. It is these distinctive characteristics that make New Zealand Merino so soft and comfortable against the skin. Merino provides insulation, moisture management, breathability, odour-resistance, stain-resistance, anti-static properties, flame resistance, comfort, and a natural degree of sun protection.

To be classed as "Superfine" the micron count of the fibre must be 19µ or less. It is only in this micron count range that Merino wool becomes supersoft, and ideal for wearing next to the skin. Don't think that because something is labelled as "Merino" it will be smooth and fine enough to wear next to your skin.

Companies across the world are attempting to cash in on Superfine Merino's hard earned reputation. Quite legally they are labelling garments as "merino" and they are under no obligation to tell you what sort of merino wool it is; it can even be a synthetic/merino mix. Manufacturers are also inventing terms like "Super 70" or "Ultra fine" that have no legal meaning in terms of the quality and fineness of the merino used. If the term "Superfine" isn't used, you can bet that it's because the merino being used does not meet the criteria. The result is that you could easily end up buying something that will itch, pill, and shrink in the wash.

This is the reason that, to maximise profit, some of the top brand names in Outdoor Clothing have moved production of their merino garments wholly or in part to China. Chocolate Fish brings you the real thing; simple, quality New Zealand Merino garments made in New Zealand, at sensible prices. We hope you will support and appreciate these New Zealand companies as we do.

Won't these new natural fibres, like bamboo, hemp and cellulose-based fabrics do the job just as well?