What You’re Wearing, Part 2: Wool

GEAR:30

BLISTER

Arts, Design, Skiing, Snow, Snowboarding, Sports, Outdoors, Bike, Technology, Gear

4.9 • 809 Ratings

🗓️ 23 August 2019

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why are more and more companies making products out of wool?

In part two of our “What You’re Wearing” miniseries, we’re taking a closer look at the fabric that was once most associated with itchy old sweaters and fancy suits, but that’s now being used in some of the most comfortable and highest-performing apparel on the market. But how exactly does wool naturally suppress odor? How does the species of sheep affect the finished product? And is wool actually more environmentally friendly than other fibers?

To answer these questions and more, we’re talking with Josh Vaughan, head of Wholesale Sales at Icebreaker. We walk through every step of making wool garments (from sheep to shirt); discuss some exciting new uses for wool in apparel, and Josh provides some incredibly in-depth answers about the secrets behind wool’s unique natural properties.

Topics & Times

How climate affects wool quality (2:55)
The process: from herding sheep to the final fabric (9:03)
How & Why is wool blended with other fibers? (18:40)
Environmental benefits & drawbacks of wool (24:02)
Wool from other animals? (32:04)
Can wool be recycled? (36:13)
Why is wool odor resistant? (38:12)
Thermoregulation vs. Insulation (40:15)
Why is wool more commonly knit than woven? (43:53)
Icebreaker’s transparency report (45:03)
Two biggest misconceptions about wool (49:00)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to another episode of Gear 30 on the Blister Podcast Network.
0:10.5	I'm Sam Shaheen, and you can check out everything we're doing and reviewing over at
0:14.2	blisterreview.com.
0:17.7	Today, we have part two in our What You're Wearing miniseries, and it's all about wool.
0:23.6	Wool goes way beyond the old itchy sweaters you used to get from your grandma or fancy-looking Armani suits.
0:29.6	Thanks to textile innovations, wool is used in some of the most comfortable and highest-performing base layers on the market.
0:35.6	So today, I'm talking with Icebreaker's Josh Vaughn.
0:39.6	Josh walks us through how exactly we go from sheep grazing in the Southern Alps of New Zealand
0:44.0	to the clothes in your closet. We also cover wool's environmental impact, Icebreaker's transparency
0:50.1	initiative, and Josh gives some amazingly in-depth answers to my questions about where
0:54.9	wool's unique properties come from. All right, let's get to it.
1:02.0	Josh, how are you doing today? Yeah, pretty good. It's a Monday morning, so as well can be expected
1:07.8	but had an awesome weekend, so looking forward to getting stuck into the week.
1:11.6	Oh nice. You're getting anything fun? Yeah, we got away with the family and headed up to the
1:17.4	Whistler area where they did a slow food cycle. So they closed off some of the roads in Pemberton
1:23.3	and a lot of the organic producers and even better breweries had their wares on the side of the road
1:29.2	and you just cycled from place to place. So it was a lot of fun. That sounds rad. Yeah, no, it was good. Cool.
1:37.5	Well, today we're here to talk about wool. So to start off, I think let's just hear a little bit about your background and your
1:44.8	current role at Icebreaker. Yeah, sure. So I've been with Icebreaker coming up eight years,
1:53.4	and that was my first journey into Wool as such working for the Icebreaker brand. But as soon as
2:00.5	I started working for them it's something
2:03.4	that that really hit home I've always been involved in the outdoors I grew up in the lake district
	...

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