Where does your Merino come from? - 'Icebreaker' can show you and where it's going.

So by now we all know it comes from some New Zealand sheep.  Here is a great article on Core 77 that explains it all.

Launched in 1994, Icebreaker was the first company in the world to develop a merino wool layering system for the outdoors. It was also the first outdoor apparel company in the world to source merino directly from growers, a system it began in 1997. Icebreaker merino clothing for the outdoors, technical sports and lifestyle includes underwear, mid layer garments, outerwear, socks and accessories for men, women and children. Icebreaker is based in Wellington, New Zealand, and is sold in more than 3000 stores in 43 countries.

You have to be tough to survive in New Zealand's Southern Alps. With scorching summers and freezing winters, the glacier-carved mountain range is a harsh, inaccessible environment—and possibly the last place you'd expect to find a sheep.
But the sheep that survive on the Southern Alps aren't run-of-the mill lowland sheep. They're merino sheep: hardy alpine animals with a coat that insulated in summer, breathes in summer, and is exceptionally soft and lightweight. - From Core 77

Here are two images that I find stunning:

Amazing sheep, Hey, I am Welsh after all, and look at the size of that yarn!

Head over to Core 77 to see where it comes from and how it gets turned into futuristic garments and what may be next:

Case Study:  Icebreaker Merino - Reinventing Wool as a Performance Fiber, by Rob Achten.

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