Merino works well for sportswear
The New Zealand Merino Company (NZM) has completed a three-year project called Functional Fabrics at the Clothing and Textile Sciences Department at the University of Otago, Dunedin. The research programme was designed to prove the performance attributes of New Zealand merino fibre and fabrics for the active outdoor sportswear (AOS) market.
The aim was to develop new products for targeted end-uses in the AOS market and to gain a commercially valuable understanding of the performance of merino and merino-blend garments. This involved developing quantitative and qualitative measurement systems; optimising fibre, yarn and textile fabrication; and testing of garment-wearer interactions.
Significant favourable differences in wearer comfort and performance were registered among trial participants when wearing New Zealand merino and merino blend garments compared with polyester. The project involved tests for: air permeability; water vapour permeability; resistance to water; drying time; heat transfer properties; odour; and UV transmission.
And, in recognition of the tough treatment dealt out to merino gear during manufacture and use, the following product performance factors were included in the testing methods: pre-treatment of fabrics; dry/wet/damp; single/multiple layers; and relaxed and extended testing.
