There’s a new innovation in the realm of textile in development, utilizing wool once only utilized in flooring and upholstery. Or to put it plainly, carpets. Coarse long wool fibers are the most durable grade fo wool fiber, but as it sounds, its not something one might want against their skin. However, TMC, a New Zealand based company has recently introduced a new spinning technology that pairs coarse long wool fibers around a performance filament creating an extremely fine yarn they call Herculan.
Unlike current wool on the market, the combination of carpet wool and a performance filament provides the durability we see with products woven with synthetic materials (read: nylon and polyester), creating a more sustainable natural fiber option for technical apparel. This includes wool socks, which are easily the most used and abused clothing items we wear.
A pair of sample socks crafted from Herculan wool appeared at my door a few weeks ago with a brief note about being made from more durable carpet wool, and a few links to URLs. As I am a big fan of wool, particularly in my riding socks, (they also match our site colors!) I’ve been wearing them around. As with other wool items, they have natural odor resistance. The Heculan wool socks were comfortable, with a different feel to the touch, but were comfortable. They also felt durable.
After looking them up online and diving into a bit of research, I came to the conclusion they weren’t even available for sale yet. However, they represent a more sustainable future for performance outerwear, and the Nuyarn technology is sure to show up in collections of your favorite outerwear brands.
I have a corner in my closet dedicated to blown out socks I can’t bring myself to throw away, with the idea that some day I’ll learn to repair them. If you’re tired of your favorite socks developing a hole, the innovative carpet wool fibers used in Herculan socks may be the answer.
At the very least, perhaps it means that at the end of its usable life, they will be recyclable. If you’re intrigued, you can learn more at Herculanwool.com
Learn more at Herculanwool.com