Why I wear mostly wool

I'm approaching my everyday clothing from a mostly functional perspective these days (#momlife 👋🏻). Which makes it hard to buy clothes if you don't want to look like a German boomer on a city trip every day.

Ideally, I want to have a small wardrobe that consists of pieces I'll wear at the desk, at the playground and on my bike among a group of very fit middle-aged men (welcome to my life, lol).

And what I've come to realize in the past couple of years is that it's worth paying close attention to the inside label of your clothes. Your cutting-edge favorite brand is launching another new, never heard of fabric, accompanied by nice adventure photos and smart copy? It's "moisture-wicking", it "keeps you warm" and it's "super light" and "nano" something? If you're scrolling down to the materials section, which a lot of brands hide very well – you'll almost always find that it's made of polyester, polyamide, and/or elastane (spandex, baby).

I'm not trying to say that all polyester fabrics are the same or bad – and I own enough of those fabrics to know they can make a difference. I'll wear polyester when I know things will either get very sweaty (cycling, running) or when wider, stiffer clothes would get in the way (yoga, surprisingly untrue for climbing). But. It's all plastic in the end, which means they'll pollute the planet even more (when washing and after their life as a piece of clothing) and, let's face it, they smell horrible pretty much the second you put them on.

Enter: Wool. To me, personally, wool makes a lot more sense than any other material, and here's why.

1. It's warm. Nothing keeps me as warm as a sweater made 100% out of wool. In winter (for anyone not living in the north, that's roughly nine months of the year for me) I stop freezing and being tense the second I put on wool base layers. And when it's freezing, merino base layers keep you warm, even when soaked in sweat.
2. It feels amazing. Not sure if it's just me, but I never feel better than when I'm wearing nothing but wool layers on my upper body. I stopped feeling like a person that sweats a lot after I started wearing wool. Wild, right?
3. It stays fresh longer. Which means less washing but also, when you think about it, you do need less items in total, because they're not stuck in the laundry pile as often. Which also helps when you're bikepacking and can bring literally one T-shirt for the week.
4. Packing becomes much easier. When I go on a trip, I'll bring two merino long sleeves, a wool pile vest, a wool sweater and a merino shirt to sleep in – and that's it for my upper body (different in summer, obviously). When they don't feel fresh any more, I hand wash them with a bit of whatever soap is available, use the towel trick, and they'll be dry the next morning.
5. It looks better. Even if someone is wearing an old, pill-covered sweater with a hole or two, it looks better and has more character than a brand new polyester fleece – in my opinion.

And I haven't even touched on the less personal pros (biodegradable, less toxins in production).

Now I know that using animal products does come with its downsides, too (CO₂, animal welfare). Naturally, pay attention to what you buy and opt for brands that have high standards in regards to animal welfare (GOTS + RWS are a good start). Take care of your wool pieces (mend or patch holes), and you'll be able to wear them for many years.

Wool clothes take a little more effort in terms of washing (wool detergent, gentle cycle) and storing when not in use (channel your inner grandma: store them air tight and include something that will keep moths away, like lavender) – but it's worth the effort.

Once you're used to natural fibers, it's easy to stop yourself from buying most of the stuff that the internet throws at you just by looking at the material mix.

My three favorite wool items this winter

• Finisterre Mora Crew Neck Cardigan – Two very wise friends convinced me to buy this when I was close not to as the cut is a bit longer than I would like it to be. But I am wearing it almost every day now, as it's great on top of a long sleeve.
• Dilling Merino Wool Long Sleeve Top – Love the look and the color brown melange, but also bought the striped coffee/black version literally one day after wearing it for the first time.
• Alwero Vest TYB Adult – Bought this last winter and haven't worn my Patagonia Classic Retro-X Fleece Vest since. Great over a long sleeve, obviously.

As you can tell by the list above, merino doesn't have to carry a label from Icebreaker, Mons Royale, and the like. They make great stuff, but the label comes at a cost. I recently shifted my attention away from the outdoors industry when it comes to merino and voilà, suddenly a shirt is half the price, while still made with the same yarn and standards.

What are your experiences with wool? Any favorite pieces you recommend? Let me know in the comments.

Byeeeeeeeeeeee ✌🏻
Stephanie