Meet the Next Eco Chic Textile

What’s up with the plethora of new wool products? We’re not talking chunky socks and grandma sweaters. There’s fine wool bedding, ultra-sleek wool sportswear. There’s even wool insulation for your home. Why? Because wool is super versatile—and as a fiber, its performance often excels that of petroleum-based synthetics. Plus, new fiber technology has allowed for super-light and super-soft blends that make wool oh-so wearable. What’s not to love? Here are seven more reasons to go with wool.

1. It’s a natural, renewable fiber, unlike petroleum-based plastics, which are nonrenewable.

2. Wool requires far fewer chemical inputs (such as pesticides) than cotton, and sheep require less pasture and are generally gentler on the planet than cows.

3. Wool has outstanding temperature-regulating qualities. It’s warm when the weather is cold but cool when temperatures rise. Did you know that nomads in Northern Africa even wear wool to keep cool under the blazing desert sun?

4. Wool is warm when wet. Whatever your sports of choice—particularly winter sports—wearing wool clothing means that when you work up a sweat, you won’t freeze once you slow down. Or if you fall into a frozen lake . . . well, that won’t happen.

5. Wool is naturally antibacterial, meaning that you do not have to wash your clothes quite as often or with harsh soaps. Up to 60 percent of a garment’s impact is attributed to washing and drying. Yes, you still have to wash wool items; but if you are out on a long backpacking trip, let’s just say that your tent mates will appreciate the wool. (Always line-dry wool clothes to prevent shrinkage and reduce your impact even more.)

6. As an insulation fiber, wool has higher fire-resistance than other synthetic insulation materials; it absorbs moisture from the air naturally, protecting wood and other building materials; and it is perfectly safe for human contact, eliminating all hazards of installation.

7. Baa-baa black hoodie . . . It’s nice to know where your clothes originated. Increasingly, companies like Icebreaker (“Trace Your Baacode”) make their wool traceable down to the family farm that raised the sheep.