So much to ‘WOW’ about: Wool

As a furnishing fabric option, wool is natural, renewable, biodegradable, resilient and durable, flame retardant, breathable (it’s a great natural insulator!), and easy to look after!

If you’re thinking practicality:

Wool is durable, resistant, easy to care for, antistatic, naturally flame retardant and resistant to mould and mildew!

Wool fibres resist tearing and are able to be bent back on themselves of 20,000 times without breaking. It is naturally elastic due to its crimped structure, which gives wool furnishings the ability to stretch comfortably, but are then able to return to their natural form, making them resistant to wrinkling and sagging. Wool therefore maintains it’s appearance longer giving your furniture and curtains a mucher longer life span.

The protective waxy coating on the fibre, along with the overlapping scale construction, makes wool products resistant to staining, and they also pick up less dust as wool is naturally antistatic! Thanks to its high water and nitrogen content, wool is naturally flame-retardant and has a far higher ignition threshold than many other fibres. This means it will not melt and stick to the skin causing burns, and it produces less toxic fumes that cause death in fire situations.

Natural fabrics shed loose fibres more easily and some pilling can occur. Read more about pilling in our blog, 'What is Fabric Pilling?'.

If you’re thinking comfort:

Wool is hypoallergenic, multi climatic, natural, breathable and a fabulous natural insulator!

Wool fibres are crimped, and when they are tightly packed to, form tiny pockets of air. This allows it to absorb and release moisture without compromising its thermal efficiency.  Wool is a hygroscopic fibre, meaning it has the capacity to absorb 30% of its own weight in moisture. This makes wool extremely breathable and comfortable to sit and relax on.

As the surrounding air rises and falls, heat is generated and retained during the absorption process, making wool a great natural insulator. Used in your home, wool insulation helps to reduced your power and energy costs and prevents the loss of energy to the external environment. Being hygroscopic makes wool trans seasonal, and so it will help maintain thermophysical comfort in warm temperatures as well.

Wool is naturally safe and not known to cause allergies. It also does not promote the growth of bacteria! It reduces floating dust in the atmosphere as the fibres microscopic scales are able to trap and hold dust in the top layers until it is vacuumed away.

If you’re thinking about saving the planet:

Wool is natural, renewable, biodegradable, recyclable and a local resource!

Sheep will produce a new fleece every year; making wool a renewable fibre source. At the end of its useful life, wool can be returned to the soil where it decomposes and releases valuable nutrients into the ground.

Woolgrowers actively work to safeguard the environment, and improve efficiency, with the goal to make the wool industry sustainable for future generations.

Perfect for curtaining, upholstery, cushions and headboards. From Stunning fine weights, tweeds and herringbones, chunky textured weaves and great natural and bold colourways – we have over 50 woollen fabrics at Martha’s, all grown and woven locally in New Zealand!

View our full range of wool here. Order your free sample requests and shop online now!

For more information – visit the Campaign For Wool website!