Where does merino wool come from?
Why is Merino wool famous?
Merino wool is a popular material known for its high quality and soft feel. Many of our customers love the way our Merino wool and skins are always the highest quality and definitely worth the purchase. The wool from a Merino sheep is famous for its fine, soft wool and its ability to thrive in extreme climates with all kinds of crazy weather. This makes the wool very durable and resistant to all kinds of outside factors.
Another amazing thing about the Merino wool is that the soft feel makes it perfect as clothes, because it is very comfortable next to your skin. Other kinds of wool, that are not as soft as Merino wool, are not nearly as comfortable and can be irritating the skin. The fibres in the Merino wool are naturally long, which makes the material way more durable, because of the strong fibres. This is very important, because it prevents it from tearing. The strong fibres also means that Merino wool stretches easily and will keep you warm.
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Where does Merino wool come from?
Merino is a breed of sheep with fine wool that originates from North Africa. The name Merino probably comes from the Merinids, who ruled in North Africa between year 1200 and 1465. Their empire included present-day Morocco, nearby territories and parts of Algeria and Tunisia.
The Merinids brought their army into southern Spain and this brought the Merino sheep to Europe. In Spain, Merino wool became a really big part of all businesses and Spain became a major supplier of the soft fur.
Spain had a monopoly position on the Merino wool and in their attempt to preserve the Merino wool, exports abroad were strictly forbidden. The consequences of exporting the Merino sheep abroad were death penalty. Until the early 18th century, Spain was able to maintain its monopoly position on trade in the particularly soft Merino wool.
The Merino sheep came to Denmark at the end of the 18th Century. Through racial crossing came several different varieties of the Merino sheep. Due to colonization, the Merino sheep came to Australia and New Zealand, which has made these countries today the largest producers of Merino wool and Merino skins.
What is Merino lambskin?
The merino skin is, like everything else in our production, not only bred for the production of wool. The skin is a by-product of the actual purpose of the sheep, which is meat. The skin has then been dried, tanned and processed so you can get a high-quality skin. Merino lambskin is not only made as decorative leather, but is also produced as pillows, seat cushions and large rugs. At NATURES Collection we care a lot about animal welfare. This is why the Merino skins in our collection originate from New Zealand due to their good conditions and the high quality of the sheepskin.