What is merino wool?
Wool is a collective term for the fur from goats, sheep, llamas, and alpacas. Merino wool specifically comes from merino sheep that live in mountainous areas, where they are exposed to both winter cold and high heat. Since the wool never stops growing, the sheep need to be sheared to stay healthy, which usually happens once a year. Fluffy giant skeins are then shipped to spinning mills where the combed wool is twisted into threads and placed on large spools. When the yarn is ready, it’s time to produce garments, with knitting being the technique used to create our merino wool garments that are completely mulesing-free.

3 benefits of merino wool – why choose it?
1. The unique fiber - Wool is a highly appreciated material with unique properties. It’s no surprise that people have been using wool to make clothes for over 10,000 years. Wool’s special fibers are resilient and stretchy, which helps garments keep their shape for a long time and prevents them from wrinkling. Additionally, it’s environmentally friendly and, with proper care, has a long lifespan.

2. Say goodbye to smelly activewear - The first thing many think of when it comes to wool garments is warmth – and that’s absolutely true! Merino wool, however, is a natural material with the unique ability to bind both water and air. This means wool keeps you warm even when it’s damp. Merino wool clothing is therefore suitable for both play and sports activities, mainly because you feel dry and don’t get cold thanks to the material’s moisture-absorbing ability. Moreover, merino wool has both antiseptic and antimicrobial properties, which inhibit the growth of bacteria. In other words, you don’t have to worry about the garment smelling.

3. Itch-free material in wet and cold conditions - Merino wool is also known for its softness, which, thanks to its fine fibers, feels completely "itch-free." Geggamoja’s merino wool garments, such as our popular wool base layers, are therefore perfect as the first layer closest to the skin. Whether it’s a day on the ski slopes, at preschool, or even at the hockey rink, wool garments work perfectly.

How do I wash and care for my merino clothes?
Wool should not be washed too often – save water and instead air out your wool garments. If stains appear, you can use a soap bar for spot cleaning. When needed, wash wool garments at 30 degrees on the wool program in the washing machine or by hand. Remember to use wool detergent specially designed not to damage the wool’s fine fibers. When drying your garments, it’s best to dry them flat rather than hanging them on a hanger, mainly to avoid the garment losing its shape. If you care for your wool garments properly, you will have wool clothes that keep you warm year after year.

What does it mean that the merino wool is mulesing-free?
Mulesing is a procedure performed on merino sheep to prevent flystrike, as their wrinkled skin tends to be attacked. The procedure involves removing skin from the sheep’s hindquarters, which is a painful process often done without anesthesia and is very traumatic for the sheep. Mulesing-free merino wool means that this method has not been used on the sheep from which the wool comes. At Geggamoja, we strongly oppose cruel animal treatment and ensure that our manufacturers only use wool that is mulesing-free.

Woolmark

The Woolmark label on wool clothing is a globally recognized symbol that guarantees the garment meets strict quality standards for pure wool. It is a certification given by The Woolmark Company, ensuring that the product consists of 100% pure, untreated wool, or if it is a blend, that it contains a high proportion of pure wool.

Woolmark certification means:

1. Quality: The garment is made from high-quality wool, often merino wool, and has undergone rigorous tests for durability, shrink resistance, colorfastness, and other quality factors.
2. Pure wool: The label guarantees that the wool is 100% natural, renewable, and biodegradable.
3. Treatment standards: Products with the Woolmark label meet strict requirements regarding how the wool has been handled and processed, ensuring that the wool has not been damaged or mixed with lower quality or synthetic materials.

In summary, the Woolmark label is a symbol of trust and quality when it comes to wool products, ensuring consumers receive a reliable and sustainable garment.

Learn more about Woolmark here

Is Geggamamoja’s wool treated with Superwash?

"Superwash" on wool clothing refers to a chemical treatment or mechanical process that makes wool machine washable without shrinking or felting. This is usually done by removing or covering the outer layer of wool fibers, which consists of tiny scales, with a synthetic layer (usually chlorine and polymers). The scales on untreated wool otherwise hook onto each other during washing, causing shrinkage and felting.

Geggamoja’s wool clothing is NOT treated with this because:

1. Environmental impact: The Superwash treatment uses chemicals like chlorine to remove the scales from wool fibers, which can be harmful to the environment if not managed responsibly. Chlorine waste can pollute water sources.

2. Lost natural properties: The wool’s natural ability to breathe, regulate body temperature, and resist odor can be affected by the Superwash treatment. The treatment changes the natural structure and feel of the wool, which can reduce some of the benefits that untreated wool offers.

3. Synthetic coating: In some cases, wool fibers are coated with a synthetic polymer to make them machine washable. This can reduce wool’s biodegradability and make it more like synthetic materials, which are less environmentally friendly.

We hope you enjoyed this guide and have now learned more about merino wool. Also, take the opportunity to read our guide about bamboo.