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Merino wool is making headway as the go-to fabric for people who exercise. Unlike traditional wool, it is capable of being woven into a very thin layer, which makes it more ideal for thin summer tee shirts and the like. Where regular wool, with its itchy sensation and thick, sweater weave was very good for keeping warm in the coldest months, merino wool has proven itself to be excellent in all seasons. But there is more to this fabric than its ability to be woven very thinly. Other advantages make it likely that it will continue to be adopted at a rapid pace, displacing synthetics, which have had a long history in their own right.

Synthetics came about decades ago. Typically made from oil-based products and other non-sustainable substances, they were latched onto by athletes who loved their sweat wicking properties. In this performance function, sweat emitted by a hot body continues right through the synthetic, evaporating very quickly. Compared to cotton, synthetics seem to dry almost instantaneously, since cotton takes on a lot more water for the same amount of material. By absorbing less sweat, the synthetic kept an athlete from being forced to be wet for a very long time.

People came to enjoy the fast wicking property of synthetics, but wondered about the smell. When one sweats inside a polyester shirt, it stinks pretty badly within several minutes. And here, merino wool wins hands down in comparison. It is anti-microbial, which means that germs can’t proliferate. Merino wool is popular partly because it dries very quickly, but also because it doesn’t smell bad following exercise.