Professional guide

Wool and animal hairs

Wool from sheep and animal hairs from alpaca, goats and other animals represent some of the oldest clothing raw-material known to man. But today they only represent 2% of all textile materials.

Why wool? Wool feels cool when it is hot and feels warm when it’s cold. Wool's scaling and crimp make it easier to spin the fleece by helping the individual fibers attach to each other, so that they stay together. Because of the crimp, wool fabrics have a greater bulk than other textiles, and retain air, which causes the product to retain heat. Insulation also works both ways; Bedouins use wool clothes to keep the heat out.

Wool has a very good eco-profile

Wool absorbs 30% of its weight in water without feeling wet, it is non-flammable and biodegradable. It can be made in a range of yarn counts and lends itself to all types of fabric construction (with the exception of warp knitting) to provide virtually every type of clothing item from fine lingerie to heavy winter coats. In other words, it has a very good eco-profile, and because modern sheep farming methods and improved spinning technology, wool no longer itches. Merino wool is the most popular type of wool, especially for inner-clothing. Wool is also extremely durable, resists staining, insulates and breathes - and holds color. It meets many international regulations without the need for chemical treatments. It absorbs unhealthy carbons in the atmosphere providing a better environment. Sadly, many associate wool with itchy, bulky sweaters or long-johns of their childhood. With wool today is soft and very wearable! Also as under-garments, and has become extremely popular as sports underwear. However, unless the wool is treated for machine-wash, it should be rinsed or hand-washed. And one should use specialized wool detergents. An idea for "gift with purchase"?

Alpaca and cashmere are also animal hairs that are widely used, along with mohair and angora. Other animal hairs used for wool are cashgora, huarizo, camel, llama, qiviut (muskox), rabbit hair, camel, yak, guanco and vicuna. (See below.)

Mulesing
is a surgical practice that is currently being phased out in Australia due to massive protests since the sheep are treated for the most part without sedation, though the 2010 deadline will not be met. If not treated, the animals risk being eaten alive by insect larvae, and alternative practices are being tried out: Topical protein-based treatments, selective breeding, safe insecticides and plastic clips on the sheep’s skin folds so that it is crushed and dies, and eventually falls off. (Source: EcoTextileNews)

Traceability
A group of farmers in South Australia have embarked on a sourcing and traceability programme and call themselves The Flinders Merino Group. Their ambition is that all their wool will have the EU Eco-label standard (the EU-flower) and some will have organic standard. They also have a plan to present its wool with a DNA code that would enable the wool to be traced from beginning of the process right through to the finished garment, and of selling the product with offer of carbon credits.

Organic or not?
The increased demand for organic wool outstrips supply, it seems. At the same time the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress (IWTO) At the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress (IWTO) in Frankfurt there was a successful move led by Italian delagtes to strike out the definition of organic wool from IWTO's rulebook. Representing Italy (...), Piercarlo Zedda of Pantex, an Italian wool comber, feared that labelling wool as organic would lead consumers to the conclusion that other wool products were inferior. At present only 20 of 70 organic growers in New Zealand have reached the standards required by the US, while the remainder meet European standards...
(Source: EcoTextileNews)

Bowmont sheep
A rare breed of sheep from Northern Scotland that had almost been lost, is now being re-established, the Bowmont; which is a cross between the Saxon Merino and hardy Shetland sheep.The Devon Goat Company has been able to save the race, which gives wool as fine as 15.5 microns, though mainly from 17.5 to 21 microns. The British surfwear brand Finisterre uses this wool in surfer garments, since wool can absorb upwards of 30% of its own weight in moisture before even beginning to feel damp. Merino, being such a fine fibre has a greater surface area, so it can dry faster while the natural anti-bacterial properties lend merino an amazing ability to ward off body odour, even after prolonged wear.
(Source: EcoTextile News)

 Wool specialty fibres, although still classified as wool, are further classified by the animal the fiber comes from.
Alpaca fleece is very rich and silky with considerable luster. 
Mohair is from the angora goat and is highly resilient and strong. Mohair’s luster, not softness, determines its value. 
Camel hair is from the extremely soft and fine fur from the undercoat of the camel. Camel’s hair can be used alone but is most often combined with fine wool for overcoating, topcoating, sportswear and sports hosiery. 
Cashmere is from the Kasmir goat down. Separation of the soft fibers from the long, coarse hair is tedious and difficult, contributing to the expense of the fabric. The soft hair is woven or knitted into fine garments and can also be blended with silk, cotton, or wool.
Vicuna is the softest coat cloth in the world. The amount of coarse hair to be separated from the soft fibers is negligible and yields the finest animal fiber in the world. Vicuna is a member of the Llama family and is small and wild. Since it is generally killed to obtain the fleece, it is protected by rigorous conservation measures. This fiber is rare and very expensive, costing several hundred dollars per yard.