Wool has unique characteristic and possess very special properties which cannot be matched by other fibres. Due to complex protein structure wool fibre outstands with its resilience, elasticity and durability. It has extraordinary abilities of humidity exchange, making it a perfect isolation medium. Especially thicker felted wool possesses exceptional properties of insolation.
Using wool felt for shoes will keep your feet warm in winter and protect from overheating in summer. This universal material will allow your feet to breathe, absorbing and releasing humidity, so that you stay dry. Other positive aspect of wool is that it has antimicrobial properties and doesn’t hold odors.
The wool fibre varies from super fine Merino fibre, similar to cashmere, to very coarse hairy wools. The diameter range determines its final use and value making it suitable for clothing, household fabrics and technical textiles.
Properties of wool
100% natural & renewable product – Wool grows fast and sheep is sheared at least once a year
Biodegradable – Wool fibre has structural similarities with the human hair and has complex protein structure, which decomposes after time, serving as fertilizer due to content of nitrogen
Sustainable – The production process is much more resource sparing, specially comparing with synthetic fibres
Breathable and odor resistant – due to unique fibre structure wool possess exceptional ability of humidity exchange, adsorbing and releases humidity (Wool can absorb up to35% of its own weight in water, more than cotton (24%), nylon(7%) and polyester (1%)), so that you stay dry, leaving less sweat against your skin. Therefore you will smell less wearing wool, which makes it ideal for shoes
Antimicrobial – due to its ability to “breathe” and release water wool fibre doesn’t provide fertile ground for bacterial or mildew proliferation. It possesses also “self-cleaning properties”. The keratin chains are bundled into fibrils and the flaky meshwork removes the residues (bacteria) by rubbing of the fibres against each other.
Insulating – especially thick felted wool products have extraordinary insulating properties. Used in shoes it will keep your feet warm in winter and protect from overheating in summer. This ability of wool provides balanced body temperature – at any ambient temperature. Those extraordinary insulating properties can be also used by articles to keep your wine bottles at the right temperature for longer time
Shock absorbent – Due to the bulky and elastic nature of the wool fibre the product made out of thick felted material will also protect your sensitive electronics against the shock.
Durable – wool fibers have not just a greater bulk, but possess also high elasticity and resilience, which makes them very durable. This characteristic can not be matched by other fibers like cotton or synthetic.
Naturally fire-resistant – this characteristic is inherited from the wool fibre structure which is reach on nitrogen and water. Even though when it catches some fire, the fibre would extinguish it.
Water repellent – the natural, specially unwashed wool has a high level of lanolin (wool fat), which has a repellent effect. Produced wool will be washed and depending on the washing process, if it was performed with mild soaps, this property still stay.
Healthy – Wool contains a protein fibre (keratin) which chains of amino acid are also the basic content of human bodies. Due to this fact it rarely causes allergies (excluding some people with cases of immuno-disease). Some hairy coarse wool will be itchy on sensitive skin, but this is not an allergic reaction and just a sensitivity to the coarse fibre structure. In the cases when people react allergically to wool, the cause lies in the treatments, which rough materials undergo during the manufacturing process. In other words it is basically a reaction to the substances which remain after such process in the wool and not to the wool itself.
Did we convinced you? If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us and we will address them.
To know more about the wool, read our further blog topics “What is wool?”
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Why Wool?
Facts & Figures
Wool has unique characteristic and possess very special properties which cannot be matched by other fibres. Due to complex protein structure wool fibre outstands with its resilience, elasticity and durability. It has extraordinary abilities of humidity exchange, making it a perfect isolation medium. Especially thicker felted wool possesses exceptional properties of insolation.
Using wool felt for shoes will keep your feet warm in winter and protect from overheating in summer. This universal material will allow your feet to breathe, absorbing and releasing humidity, so that you stay dry. Other positive aspect of wool is that it has antimicrobial properties and doesn’t hold odors.
The wool fibre varies from super fine Merino fibre, similar to cashmere, to very coarse hairy wools. The diameter range determines its final use and value making it suitable for clothing, household fabrics and technical textiles.
Properties of wool
Did we convinced you? If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us and we will address them.
To know more about the wool, read our further blog topics “What is wool?”
Modified content from:
International wool textile organization IWTO – https://www.iwto.org/wool
Australian wool education trust – https://www.woolwise.com
The Woolmark Company https://www.woolmark.com/fibre/
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