Why DufflecoatsUK supports Wool Week 2014
Why DufflecoatsUK supports Wool Week 2014
Question: What sort of a person goes for a bike ride wearing wool?
Answer: Wool loving cyclists.
And when do they do this ‘Wool Ride’? This year they did it on October 5th in London.
Why? For the love of wool and to celebrate Wool Week.
Wool Week? Huh?
You may never have heard of it, but this week – October 5th-12th, 2014 – is Wool Week.
Wool Week is the brainchild of The Campaign for Wool which is a global endeavour initiated by its patron, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. The aim of the Campaign is to raise awareness amongst consumers about the unique, natural, renewable and biodegradable benefits offered by wool.
And every year during Wool Week the Campaign for Wool organises a range of events to publicise the beauty of wool. And that’s where the woolly cyclists come in.
13.4 miles on a bike wearing a duffle coat? Perhaps not
At DufflecoatsUK we declined to do the Wool Ride this year, but there’s no telling what we might get up to next year. (Although when the idea of riding 13.4 miles on a bike in a woollen duffle coat was raised in the office, it didn’t get many takers.)
But even though we didn’t don our duffles and join in, we still fully support the aims of the Campaign for Wool.
You might call us – pun alert – dyed in the wool supporters?
We’ve talked before about the astonishing qualities of Merino wool, but we also like to bang the drum for ‘regular’ wool.
Wool: The original high tech breathable fabric
Before there were ‘high tech’ ‘breathable’ wonder fabrics, there was wool. Which just happens to be a high tech breathable, wonder fabric.
In Britain, wool became popular in the Bronze Age (approx 1900 BC) when it was woven into cloth, but in other parts of the world there are reports of it being used for clothing as far back as 10 000 BC.
And a quick look at the properties of wool explains why its use has endured to the present day.
Wool insulates and wicks away moisture
Wool is a completely natural insulating material, capable of keeping sheep (and humans) cool in the summer and warm in the winter. So although the manufacturers of hi-tech base layers may claim to have created the phenomenon of ‘wicking away’ moisture, the news is that the sheep knew about it first.
The core of their highly absorbent wool absorbs moisture and draws it away from the skin while simultaneously trapping heat. It’s one of the main reasons why mountaineers, fell walkers and athletes favour wool-rich base layers.
Wool stops you getting smelly
Because wool fibres are so good at releasing moisture into the atmosphere, it means that bacteria is less likely to build up and cause unpleasant odours. And although the core of the wool fibre
absorbs moisture, the surface has a waxy coating that repels water and so also provides a degree of waterproofing.
Wool is good for the planet
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, wool is a positive choice for the environment. In addition to being natural and renewable, it’s also biodegradable. Once discarded its fibres break down releasing nutrients back into the earth.
So can you see why we’re huge fans of wool and Wool Week here at Dufflecoats UK?
In addition to our Merino wool jumpers, our duffle coats are at least 70% wool, while our classic London duffle coat boasts an 80% wool content. It’s the next best thing to wearing a sheep!
Although we’re not sure we’d wear it on a bike ride. But there’s always next year…
Wool Week continues until October 12th, find out more at: http://www.campaignforwool.org/.
Seen our woollen socks yet? Take a look.
**Image courtesy The Campaign for Wool**