SUEDWIND FOOTWEAR® made with Merino is manufactured from high quality New Zealand Merino wool – a 100% natural fiber characterized by its particular fineness and softness. The result is pleasantly soft and sturdy footwear with extremely high wearing comfort.
MOISTURE ABSORBTION | Merino wool is characterized by its high und unique functionality. The wool ensures you to stay warm even when your feet are wet. Merino wool can absorb up to 35% of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet.
INSULATION CAPABILITY | The merino sheep is its own little miracle of nature. Her coat is made of light, thin and breathable hair. The uniqueness: in winter, the sheep are kept warm at -10 °C and cooled in summer at up to +30 °C. A property, that no artificial fiber is able to copy. Merino wool thus has exceptional insulation qualities.
The most important features and advantages of Merino:
- Moisture wicking and absorbing: can absorb up to one third of its own weight in moisture without feeling wet
- Insulation capability: insulates extremely well against cold and heat
- Temperature management: creates heat when is wet, cools when your feet are warm
- Odorless: does not smell unpleasant even after continued use
- Is breathable and antibacterial
- Does not charge electrostatically (unlike synthetic materials)
- Is biodegradable (like wool and leather in general)
- Does not scratch
TEMPERATUR MANAGEMENT | Merino wool regulates the body temperature by absorbing and releasing moisture, just as our own skin does. In dry conditions, the Merino wool absorbs the moisture and releases a process that creates heat. In a warm environment your Merino will regulate your temperature through “cooling by evaporation”.
ODUR CONTROL | Merino wool does not smell bad! Through its special surface, Merino inhibits the growth of bacteria. Fewer bacteria mean less smell. In addition, the fiber protein "keratin" degrades the odor-causing bacteria on the skin. Footwear with Merino wool can be used for several days without smelling.
locwool – local wool for nature conservation and animal welfare
who and what is locwool
In short: Shepherds and sheep farmers from Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, who want to add value to their regionally produced, high-quality wool commensurate with its quality. LOCWOOL stands for local wool with extremely high standards imposedon product quality and process quality. The word mark / imagemark as ingredient branding has the clear goal of re-establishing sheep wool on the market and, successfully promoting it.
locwool stands for
ANIMAL WELFARE AND PRODUCT QUALITY
More than 95% of the wool processed in Germany is imported from countries which insome cases have critical animal husbandry practices. We stand for mulesing-free wooland careful handling of animals and wool. Weguarantee controlled, careful shearing, sorting, as well as packing of the wool. We offer further processing and fi nishing in accordance with defi ned standards, on customer request.
NATURE CONSERVATION AND LANDSCAPE MANAGEMENT
The practices of herding shepherding and wandering shepherding with their sheep manage our cultural landscape and ensure its preservation and thus assure biodiversity. By keeping plant growth short and suppressing bushes and woody plants, habitats of rare plants, insects, and reptiles are maintained and tourism also benefits from the increased attractiveness of our recreation areas.
INDEPENDENCE FROM THE WORLD MARKET
By establishing a domestic sales and marketing channel, we offer sheep farming enterprises a decoupling from the world market, in particular independence from dumping prices, low animal husbandry standards, and independence in the socio-economic area.
APPRECIATION OF REGIONAL WOOL AND REGIONAL PROCESSING
The ultimate goal is to give our shepherds and sheep farmers, their animals and their products, the appreciation they deserve. By revitalizing and promoting regional structures we keep value creation in the region and benefit from the short distances the wool travels.
HOLISTIC RECYCLING AND A CLOSED-LOOP SYSTEM
Natural fi ber has diverse application areas, depending on fi neness, color, and other quality parameters. Wool that has already been processed can be reused (wool recycling) and thus provides an additional contribution to environmental protection.
SUSTAINABILITY AND MINDFULNESS
Sheep farming is close to nature and the natural husbandry conditions are animal friendly. Unlike its synthetic competitors, wool does not contribute to microplastic pollution of the environment. The natural and durable fi ber can be kept in circulation over an extended period of time and it reduces the ecological footprint. At the end of its service life wool is completely biodegradable.
In this regard LOCWOOL helps you address animal welfare, regionality, and sustainability. Using LOCWOOL as a valuable ingredient brand you ensure an upgrading and strengthening of your products.
- LOCWOOL qualify their shepherds and sheep farmers in training courses devoted to animal-friendly shearing, wool sorting, and we guarantee these qualifications through certifi cate verifi cation as a prerequisite for delivery.
- LOCWOOL is a service provider: We organize effectively sorted and packed raw wool; and on customer request they offer additional services ranging from washing to finished yarn. Through their website we bring shepherds, sheep farmers, and the wool processing industry together and provide to them the quality that they need.
- LOCWOOL are pursuing additional certificationswith respect to sustainability, ecology, seal of quality and origin; in addition we maintain a constant exchange with ministries and research institutions.
- Short-term to medium term, at this time LOCWOOL can already deliver wool with a fi neness of 26 microns. In line with animal husbandry and animal welfare research we are working to further increase wool fineness – naturally all of this is done from the aspect of animal welfare.
- Customers demand traceability and proximity to the original producer – together with LOCWOOL we can meet this need for transparency.
Wool – Natural Fiber with high Functionality
Wool is a true all-rounder; currently it is experiencing an incredible renaissance. In particular, theMerino sheep with its fi ne wool, is outstanding for use in the textile sector, for example for skintight clothing and outerwear, as these garments feel soft and supple on the skin. No synthetic fiber can combine all the outstanding characteristics that wool has to offer.
BENEFITS OF WOOL
- Wool warms in winter and cools in summer.
- Wool absorbs sweat quite effectively, without feeling wet.
- Wool is easy to dye.
- Wool absorbs odor more slowly (airing it out in fresh air usually suffi ces as cleaning).
APPLICATION AREAS
- Fashion in the every-day wear, sportswear, and outdoor wear segments
- Home textiles (e.g. carpet)
- Filling materials (e.g. in jackets and blankets)
- Insulating materials
LOCWOOL is supported by:
