As denim continues to remain one of the world’s most popular fabrics, it was only a matter of time before brands began incorporating a high-performance fibre such as Merino wool into their denim.
Enhanced warmth without adding bulk to the fabric also allows for an increased level of comfort.
When wet, the Wool Denim fabric feels drier on the skin and more comfortable than 100% cotton.
Wool fabrics are naturally odour resistant, so this property lends itself to also exist in Wool Denim.
Wool in the weft yarns ensures there is wool on the inside of the fabric. This adds an extra element of warmth even in the coldest of winters and takes the initial chill out of putting on regular denim jeans.
Merino wool denim
How it works
Denim is a twill fabric traditionally made from a dyed cotton warp yarn with an undyed weft yarn. Previous attempts to create wool/cotton blends in denim have used an intimate blend of wool with cotton - two fibres which are not easy to combine in a yarn. Yet production developments including the use of machine washable wool yarns have led to a more cost-effective way to produce Wool Denim without having to intimately blend wool with cotton.
The Woolmark Company has worked with development partners to produce a wool/cotton denim blend which uses exactly the same warp yarn as traditional denim, but replaces some, or all, of the weft yarns with machine-washable wool. The fabrics are finished the same as traditional denim, so you can rest assured style won’t be compromised, plus you gain all the natural benefits associated with wool.
Previous attempts to create wool blends in denim have used an intimate blend of wool with cotton – two fibres which are not easy to combine in a yarn. Yet by replacing some, or all, of the weft yarns with machine washable Merino wool, a higher performance and more cost effective fabric can be produced. Because the wool yarns being used are 100 per cent pure, consumers benefit from the fibre’s attributes, including its natural resilience and elasticity to create new textures, drape and next-to-skin comfort, and most importantly, an increase in the level of warmth in your denim apparel.
2019 International Woolmark Prize womenswear winner Colovos cleverly used Wool Denim fabrics in its winning collection. The US-based fashion label partnered with mills that are part of the Greenpeace Detox Program, including Marini Industrie, to create Indigo wool that’s treaceable from farm to firm, whilst retaining wool’s properties such as easy to wash, shrink-proof and wrinkle-free, whilst retaining its softness and colour.
2019 International Woolmark Prize winner Colovos showcased wool denim in its winning collection.
For Fall/Winter 2017, Italian contemporary luxury brand Max Mara cleverly incorporated wool denim into its already wool-rich collection, offering consumers a luxury alternative to traditional denim apparel. Using ecological dyeing recipes that imitate natural indigo, the 100% Wool Denim pieces were fade resistant.
“We needed to find something that was easy to care for but sophisticated at the same time.”
"[Traditional denim] is too casual for the Max Mara collection and so we needed to find something that was easy to care for but sophisticated at the same time," said Max Mara Fashion Director Laura Lusuardi. "Wool denim not only fulfills this need, but it's also a fabric that allow us to dress up different women in different occasions."