Materials Matter

Merino wool is natural, renewable and biodegradable. It’s also anti-bacterial, non-itchy, warm when it’s cold and cooling when it’s warm.

Shaped by millennia of evolution to possess properties beneficial to runners and sheep alike, these include an uncanny ability to insulate across a wide range of temperature and weather conditions. It’s why Merino running clothing is able to outperform synthetic alternatives in many situations.

Luxurious against the skin, despite incredible softness, Merino is an extremely hardworking material. Drawing sweat away from the wearer and allowing it to quickly evaporate, its ability to manage odour-causing bacteria also permits Merino garments to be worn multiple times before needing to be washed.

Even in hot weather, this means our Merino running tops or shorts can be worn by each day of the week before being put in with your regular laundry come Sunday.

Sustainable Performance

Yet all Merino is not equal. Despite being a traditional material, like any fibre, it can be treated or added to for improved performance. At ashmei, we’ve invested heavily to engineer each of our fabrics for optimal sporting performance. At the same time, we’ve worked to ensure all our wool is sourced from farms that adhere to the highest animal welfare standards.

Read more about our Merino + Carbon blend 

To this end, we’re certified by global authority The Woolmark Company for the quality of our Merino products and continue to ensure the wool we procure achieves the highest ethical standards.

Move in Merino

Once sourced and milled, wool finds its way into every corner of ashmei’s range of running clothing. This covers everything from t-shirts and baselayers, where Merino forms the main material, to our more complex softshell jackets, where Merino helps boost breathability and insulation.

Here’s a quick explanation of how the material allows ashmei to achieve its performance and sustainability goals.

Merino Icon T-Shirt

Worn next to the skin, our expertly cut Merino Icon T-Shirt is a running staple you’ll reach for again and again. With the addition of silica, its exclusive Merino + Carbon fabric captures and releases moisture vapour before it turns to sweat. Keeping you cooler and doubling the speed at which the garment drys, the incredibly fine diameter of the Merino fibres makes this a comforting addition to any wardrobe. At the end of its lifespan, our Icon T-shirt will also degrade naturally, keeping damaging microplastics out of the environment.

Men’s | Women’s

Merino Softshell Jacket

Looking beyond the obvious in search of performance, our Merino Softshell Jacket seeks to extract the greatest benefit from a diverse range of materials. While its front presents a barrier to incoming wind and rain, we wanted the jacket’s rear-facing panels to be as breathable as possible. Here Merino makes a perfect choice. Helping the wearer stay cool and jettison heat while remaining insulated, Merino’s natural flexibility and water repellency make it the ideal foil for the jacket’s water and windproof elements.

Men’s | Women’s

Merino Ankle Socks

Socks might seem simple, but when a sport is as hard on your feet as running they can find themselves elevated to become your most important bit of kit. This puts Merino running socks ahead of the pack when it comes to performance and comfort. Drawing away moisture and helping trap bacteria, Merino is the ideal material to support active feet. Preventing the kind of environments that can cause blisters and other problems, this ability is another product of Merino’s unique evolutionary development.

Shop Merino Socks