Merino Lambswool

The history of the Merino sheep dates back to 1797 when a flock of Spanish Merino arrived via South Africa. The flock was bought by two British officers who transported it to Sydney where the sheep were sold to landowners.

Today's wool was developed by generations of families working to find the combination of sheep breeds and pastures that would eventually produce the fibres from which the world's most luxurious garments are made.

The Australian Merino can be classified into four main distinct types according to the wool it produces - superfine, fine, medium and strong. Each is bred to suit a particular set of climatic conditions, and each type is characterised by a large quantity of soft handling wool grown on an angular frame.

Fine and superfine Merinos are found in the Northern and Southern tablelands of New South Wales, the Western districts of Victoria and the Midlands district of Tasmania.

The superfine wool is of excellent colour, soft handling and dense, with a fibre diameter of 18 microns. Staple length is about 70mm. The fine wool Merino posseses a bright, white, dense fleece. Fibre diameter is 19 microns with a staple length of about 75mm.

'Cashwool' is an extra fine merino wool with a cashmere-like hand and light luster - the result of an extraordinary proprietary process developed by Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia S.P.A. These lightweight knits are distinguished by their smooth texture, unique heathered hues and refined demeanor.

Zegna Baruffa is a large top quality spinning company based in Italy. They select and buy their raw wool direct from the farms in Australia. The wool is dirty with soil, organic material and the natural lanolin. This is scoured and cleaned in itlay leaving the spinning factory with tons of soil and lanolin!

To achieve the machine washable extra fine wool, the tops (unspun roving) is run through a special chlorination process. The roving passes through a bath which smoothes or fills in the gaps between the scales on the fibres. This achieves a smooth yarm whihc will not felt on washing or tumble drying at a low heat. This yarn passes the strict test for the eco-text certificate. These extra fine merino wool garments form the bases for your wardrobe.

Extra fine merino wool knitwear are modern classics and can be worn all year round. Lightweight and easy to wear, extra fine merino wool knitwear is distinguished by its smooth, firm texture. Garments can be washed in the machine on a wool wash setting. Pilling is minimised due to the long staple fibre, and the garment will look new after washing and pressing.

Wash and tumble dry on a cool setting and steam to shape with an iron and a damp tea towel.

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