From raw material extraction to the finished product
A transparent supply chain is a matter of course for us. It is important to ensure the quality of our high quality products.
With the following steps we would like to show you how our WOOLREX products are made.
How are Woolrex Merino products made?
The creation of the WOOLREX products does not begin with the design of the respective garments and accessories. It starts much earlier, namely with the extraction of the raw material for merino wool.
And from there, to the finished WOOLREX product that can be offered for sale, the wool has to go through a number of stages. Knowing and tracking each of these stages is essential for a transparent supply chain. Therefore, the constant exchange with our suppliers and business partners is part of our everyday life.
Where does merino wool come from?
Merino sheep are a special breed of sheep. They have a special coat that differs from the classic sheep's wool, the new wool. Merino wool is much finer and softer. Clothing made of merino wool is comfortable to wear and does not scratch or itch, even when worn on bare skin.
The main supplier of merino wool is Australia. About 90 percent of the merino wool processed worldwide comes from there. We also source our merino wool from Australia.
What danger is there for a sheep?
After the Merino lamb is born, it first has to grow a little before it can call itself a sheep and experience its first sheep shearing. This can happen at the earliest from the sixth month of life.
Unfortunately, many lambs experience a not very nice process before that, when they are only a few weeks old - the so-called mulesing. A fold of skin on the buttocks is removed in order to protect the sheep from a future fly maggot infestation that is dangerous to health and life. However, this is no longer necessary nowadays, as there are now breeds of sheep that are either born without this problematic skin fold or are more resistant to fly infestation. Even though mulesing is still allowed in Australia, we only work with suppliers who don't use this practice! For us, this is a particularly important point in the transparent supply chain.
How is merino wool obtained?
Every year in spring the Merino sheep are stripped of their wool. Sheep like to be sheared, because it is a blessing for them to be freed from the heavy winter coat. If they were not clipped, the fur would become matted and the animal's natural heat regulation would be disturbed.
After the shearing, the sheep still have enough time to build up new wool fleece in order to be well prepared for the following winter.
What happens after the sheep shearing?
After shearing, the wool is sent straight to our processing facility. This is the only way we can be sure of getting the wool from the herds that we have sighted. If the wool were collected and washed beforehand, it would be mixed with other merino wool whose origins we do not know.
It is therefore important for WOOLREX, in the sense of a transparent supply chain, that the wool is sent off immediately after it has been sheared.
Where does the merino wool go?
Once the wool is on its way, it is awaited at our processing facility in China. There it will first go through a number of processing steps until it becomes the WOOLREX garment that we offer for sale.
How is merino wool washed?
First, the merino wool must be washed. Similar rules apply as later when washing your WOOLREX product. The water must not be warmer than 40 degrees, otherwise the wool will become matted and unusable. Vigorous rubbing is just as harmful, as this would also cause the wool to become matted.
The choice of detergent is also important, it must be very mild. Therefore, a wool detergent or shampoo should also be used for washing a garment made of merino wool.
Which wool is used for WOOLREX clothing?
After the wool has been washed and dried again, sorting begins.
Because the raw wool is not the same on all parts of the sheep's body. Therefore, during sorting, the wool lots are sorted out that are too short or that still show dirt or discolouration. This ensures that only the best part of the merino wool is processed for our WOOLREX products.
How is the raw wool processed?
Before the wool can be spun and a yarn can be produced, it has to be carded. Carding is the act of brushing or combing out the wool to open up the fibers and align them.
After carding, you have a fine, long fleece that can now be spun.
How is wool yarn made?
The carded wool fleece now enters the spinning machine. The short wool fibers are twisted into a thread. Additional materials can be added to the wool during the spinning process. We, on the other hand, only use 100% pure merino wool.
The later thickness of the yarn depends on the amount of fibers that are added during spinning. WOOLREX mostly uses fine to superfine quality wool yarns. The yarns created by spinning can now be processed into fabric.
When does the manufacture of the garments start?
A garment can now be knitted directly with the spun wool yarn. The wool is now in a condition that would be sold in a knitting shop for knitting a scarf or sweater.
We, on the other hand, have the wool yarn woven into large bolts of fabric. This is how our later products get their fine weave structure and their natural elasticity.
When does the wool get its color?
The wool is only dyed when we have our finished, natural-colored bolts of fabric. As a result, our WOOLREX products have a very even color.Of course, we only use dyes that have been tested for harmlessness. This is confirmed to us by Oeko-Tex .
Our merino wool products are colourfast, so your WOOLREX product will not lose its color or luminosity.
What is the cut of WOOLREX clothing?
Our patterns are designed by the designers to create a beautiful, timeless and practical WOOLREX product.
When it comes to design, we pay attention to the little things. For example, the inner bridge for buttons on our wrap-around body is wider to make it easier to put on. Or the armholes of our baby bodysuits are a little wider to make it easier to put them on and to give the baby plenty of freedom of movement in the arm and shoulder areas. So nothing constricts and the garment nestles gently.
How is the processing of the WOOLREX products?
Our attention to detail leads to constant improvements. For example, we also pay attention to where the product labeling is placed. Because neither our wool products nor any labels should cause scratching or itching.
How high quality is WOOLREX?
The wool quality of our products is marked with the Woolmark label confirmed. For the transparent supply chain, each of our products is provided with an individual test number. This confirms that the respective product corresponds to the test guidelines.
All WOOLREX products and their high quality are certified by various independent institutions. Read more about this here , where we present and explain the respective certification bodies.
Where can I buy WOOLREX?
Our high quality and super soft WOOLREX products are mainly available in Switzerland, in selected boutiques and online.
How is WOOLREX clothing worn?
Our WOOLREX clothing and accessories are known for their softness. With the right care, you will be able to enjoy your WOOLREX product for a long time and make merino wool your favorite material.
What is the ecological footprint of merino wool?
Due to the high-quality manufacture, WOOLREX products have a high overall life cycle, which is fundamentally positive for the environment.
Since it is 100 percent pure wool, a WOOLREX product can be easily recycled and reprocessed. You should therefore only dispose of a discarded WOOLREX product in the collection containers for textiles so that a new product can be made from it.