Cool WoolPrint

14 June 2012

The Woolmark Company is working with Europe’s premium wool weavers specialising in lightweight Merino suiting fabrics to reintroduce their successful Cool Wool campaign.

The original International Wool Secretariat’s (IWS) Cool Wool program, launched nearly 30 years ago, sought to change the perception of wool from being only a heavy, warm thermal product. In many ways the campaign used up until the late-90s was very successful. However, the new Cool Wool campaign takes the concept even further for the 21st century with even lighter weight fabrics and yarns.

Cool Wool garments are manufactured from lightweight Merino wool fabrics with a maximum weight of 190 g/m² and a maximum mean wool fibre diameter of 22.5 micron. The fabric/garment surface is clean and smooth. Cool Wool Fabrics and garments carrying the Woolmark are normally 100 per cent Pure New Wool but can include blends of wool with fine animal fibres. For fabrics and garments where wool is blended with other natural fibres (cellulosic or silk), the Cool Wool label is used in conjunction with the Woolmark Blend logo. The inclusion of elastane-type filaments to impart stretch characteristics to the fabric is permitted.

Merino wool is used for its natural breathable and thermal-management properties in lighterweight fabrics for warmer climes and spring/summer markets. Offering a soft, luxurious handle, drape and clean surface, the Cool Wool fabrics will initially be taken into the buoyant Gulf markets where there is a strong demand for finer fabrics in both domestic consumption and re-export across the region.

A guild of leading luxury weavers, supplying international brands and bespoke tailors, launched Cool Wool fabrics in their spring ranges to the global apparel industry at the Milano Unica and Première Vision trade shows in Europe February 2012.

The consumer launch took place in the Gulf in December 2012 at the Dubai Mall, with a retail event used as a platform to showcase Cool Wool fabrics and to educate consumers on wool's natural performance attributes and properties.

Merino wool’s natural breathability and temperature regulation combined with new manufacturing techniques make it an ideal fibre to wear all year-round. The new range of lightweight Cool Wool woven fabrics and knitwear are defining Merino as a natural fibre that can be worn with comfort 52 weeks of the year, not just during the 12 weeks of the autumn/winter season.

The fineness, softness and handle of these Cool Wool fabrics make them perfect for any season and environment. Many cities of the world are burdened with extreme temperatures for long periods of each year. We expect these fabric weights will offer consumers some real options for summer suits and other apparel.

Cool Wool forms an important element within The Woolmark Company’s spring/summer 2013 Wool Lab collection – the seasonal guide to trends and the best wool fabrics and yarns. The launch of the Cool Wool consumer program reinforces The Wool Lab’s key themes for spring/summer: lighter weight and fine Merino fabrics created to unveil the potential of Merino wool products in the warmer months.

For more information on Cool Wool visit the Cool Wool website.

List of Cool Wool Guild members: