Merino Wool

The idea of wearing merino next to your skin utilises a most available, renewable, natural resource to keep you warm and fresh for as long as you need to wear any one of the garments. Anyone who has a merino garment will tell you how wonderful it is to wear, all year round, and how reluctant they are to take it off at the end of the day.

A fine-knit merino base layer is:

warm in the cool weather
cool in the warm weather
moisture-wicking
temperature-regulating
very easy care - straight in the washing machine (wool wash) and quick to dry
unbelievably comfortable
not itchy (all under 18.9 microns)
very difficult to take off (almost a second skin)
(and seemingly odour-resistant!)

and A merino base layer is a perfect companion for a possum-merino jumper on the coldest, windiest of days, in the woods, on the moors or up the mountain, or in the draftiest of houses with the heating switched down!

KiwiKate's merino offering is either superfine stretch (leggings only), superfine or ultrafine. The differences are:

an ultrafine garment uses merino of the very fine 17.5 microns - the lightest weight warmth
a superfine garment uses merino of 18.5 microns - and therefore a slightly heavier weight
the leggings are superfine stretch, ie 95% 18.5 micron merino and 5% lycra for perfect fit.

The garments on include the lightest weight tee shirts with short or long sleeves, s.hort zip polo shirts with long or short sleeves, or jackets. For men and women.

KiwiKate's supplier of excellent, expectionally high quality New Zealand merino is Earth Sea Sky. Earth Sea Sky are a family firm, committed to quality, the outdoors, and New Zealand. These people know their merino. They are get-out-there, just-do-it outdoor people, with mountaineering origins. Their merinos are second to none. The colours just fabulous, and the styles are practical and gorgeous all at the same time. For both men and women. Try these. You won't be disappointed. An Earth Sea Sky merino is long-lasting value and style.

Earth Sea Sky measures the quality of the merino they will use in microns (widths of fibre) as opposed to weight per square metre. They believe this is the only true way to get a consistent, lasting product.

Earthquake Update:

Earth Sea Sky, with premises are in central Christchurch have, thankfully, come through the earthquake safely, people and buildings. In fact they have been making room for their outworkers in the premises because others have not been so lucky. Kia kaha Christchurch. Kia kaha homeland. (February 2011 - but feel the need to leave this here - great people!)