Icebreaker launches new performance merino fabric
New Zealand-based outdoor brand Icebreaker recently introduced a new ultra-lightweight performance fabric as part of its spring-summer 2012 collection. Named ‘GT150’, the fabric is Icebreaker’s lightest-ever merino wool, and will be featured prominently in the GT Bike collection of styles for road and mountain bikers. The new fabric is a key component of GT Bike’s summer-weight tops, which the company claims resist odour, dry faster, and keep bikers cooler and drier than comparable synthetic garments.
Icebreaker’s bike jerseys are comprised of 97% merino wool, with 3% Lycra and include features such as gripper elastic at the hem, reflective rear details, a three-panel back pocket, and reinforced stress points on tops. Its bike shorts are 85% merino wool and have a high quality Italian chamois with ergonomic padding. The garments also include a host of functional features to boost performance, according to Icebreaker senior product designer Gerard Smith. “From the featherweight of mesh venting zones in the running pieces and the placement of the pockets on the cycling jerseys, Icebreaker designers know what athletes need out of their apparel,” said Mr Smith.
Icebreaker’s spring-summer 2012 collection also marks the debut of its Black Sheep line, comprising luxury men’s and women’s merino sweaters available in crewneck, v-neck, boatneck, cardigan, and hooded styles. The sweaters are made from a fine micron of merino wool, grown in New Zealand’s rugged Southern Alps, which is knitted into a fine gauge.
