Ethically Sourced Wool
The Importance of Merino as Performance Clothing
The Gold Standard of Merino Wool
We partner with the New Zealand Merino Company—who developed ZQ-certified wool—to ensure environmental, social, and economic sustainability while safeguarding animal welfare.
What it takes to be ZQ-Certified
We work with our partners at ZQ Merino to encourage and support them through auditing, training, and innovating methods to achieve our mutual goals.
1.
ANIMAL
WELFARE
2.
ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY
3.
QUALITY
FIBERS
4.
TRACEABLE
TO SOURCE
5.
SOCIAL
RESPONSIBILITY
Our Sheep
ZQ sheep enjoy five simple freedoms.
Freedom from discomfort and inadequate shelter
From sea level to mountain passes, Merino sheep thrive in beautiful, yet extreme climates. They’re made for these conditions. However, in order to protect our sheep from stress and to help ensure that they produce the best fiber possible, our farmers provide adequate shade and shelter.
Freedom from thirst, hunger, and malnutrition
Farmed on a free-range basis, our sheep forage as they please. Sheep with proper nutrition are better able to cope with things like extreme weather. Our sheep always have access to clean water and proper nutrition.
Freedom from significant injury and disease
Farmed on a free-range basis, our sheep forage as they please. Sheep with proper nutrition are better able to cope with things like extreme weather. Our sheep always have access to clean water and proper nutrition.
Freedom from unnecessary pain or distress
Our farmers carefully handle and manage sheep to avoid unnecessary pain or distress. Practices like mulesing that cause harm are never permitted, and facilities are properly maintained to ensure that they do not pose a risk of injury to the sheep.
Freedom to display normal patterns of behavior
Our sheep spend the majority of their time roaming thousands of acres of open pasture. This allows them to freely express their natural behaviors with minimal human interference. We want our sheep to have happy, healthy, carefree lives.
Our Growers
Supply Chain
We collaborate with our supply chain partners, who share our commitment to high standards in order to make more sustainable clothing.
We work with our partners at ZQ Merino to encourage and support them through auditing, training, and innovative methods to achieve our mutual goals. Manufacturers and subcontractors are audited each year with a focus on continuous improvement. We use internal and external resources to evaluate factories. To make sure we are using ethically sourced wool, our review process is collaborative and focuses on root causes.
Sheep
Ethically sourced wool products begin with flocks of hardy Merino sheep grazing on green grass in the shadow of jagged peaks. Our sheep are raised to roam. They always have access to clean water and ample food, shelter, preventive care, and speedy treatment, and often call thousands of acres home.
Shearing
Shearing is essential for the health and hygiene of each individual sheep. Unlike other animals, most sheep are unable to shed. So they get an annual haircut (one wool fleece can produce 40 pairs of socks), after which the fleece heads out to be washed and cleaned.
Cleaning (Scouring)
The fleece coming straight off the sheep’s back is full of lanolin, which is removed in the cleaning process. That lanolin goes to good use—being repurposed for everything from kiln fuel to skincare.
Carding
After mixing and washing the wool, fibers are smoothed out and are aligned to be parallel. Carding also introduces a small amount of twist—creating what’s called a wool sliver.
Combing
Clean wool is combed into “top.” That’s the long fluffy fibers that are left after the short ones are combed out—leaving super soft, beautiful wool. The clean wool is blended again and aligned before spinning.
Spinning
Turning the lofty slivers of wool top into soft, strong, yarn takes a lot of specialized machines. To get the right consistency wool top is blended multiple times. We take a naturally varied fiber and create consistency and evenness. Fibers are gently combed apart. Next, a series of machines compacts and pulls the fibers into yarn. Twist is added to hold the yarn together and provide strength. Finally, the yarn is wound onto a cone and shipped to our knitting mills. A standard cone of yarn has almost 25 miles of yarn.