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THIS GENERATION'S HIKER CHOOSE ALPACA WOOL

Tarina

Not many companies get started with one Finnish adventurer in Peru choppin’ wood and almost cutting out his finger and then getting back to his home country Finland to get better. Still, that is where Wølmark Finland’s story began. After the accident, the only things that were wandering in Teemu’s mind were the Andes, alpacas and sweaters – holy shit that is an idea for a company!

In Finland, Teemu had a few frosty ones with his friend Petteri who got excited about the idea immediately. Only a few moments from there a brand producing long-lasting and sustainable wool clothing for adventurers started coming together. While the ride grew faster, the team had to grow bigger as well. So a third founder jumped on board as well when Georgios jumped into marketing. Still this adventure has only begun.  

   

Friendly style for adventures

Adventure is a really personal experience. You can experience it in small everyday adventures by walking in the park or in bigger struggles like hiking to the top of a mountain. Others go for an adventure with a friend, some with their own thoughts. Nevertheless we all are hungry for experiences. How do you define your adventures? Adventures can be really easy going or really tough. Through difficulty to victory as we say. We want to promise that with Wølmark products you make your adventures even better. We want to dress adventurers responsibly with warm, timeless style. We want our clothes to be our friends in our adventures.

   

Creating friendly harmony between the Earth and people through clothes.

Wølmark’s mission is to bring people and the Earth closer to each other. By creating long-lasting, high-quality and timeless clothing from the world's best materials we believe we achieve our mission. The products' whole life cycle needs to be as long as possible. We want to change peoples' thoughts from fast fashion towards building their own long-lasting style. And doing that with a smile.

  

Making products that reflect the joy of an adventurer

We want our clothes to remind people of what is really important in life. For us it’s the small moments of joy we have in life that make our life an adventure. This joy can come from succeeding in personal achievements, spending quality time with friends or watching your favorite movie. Everyone is the adventurer of their own lives.

Life is not always easy but every moment can potentially be meaningful. When people think of Wølmark, we want it to remind them of the importance of the moment. The moment when you can smile and feel the joy of an adventurer.

   

Values

Nature

We value and cherish nature and we also want to protect it. Nature is a big part of us as a brand and as persons. Where do you think some of our product names come from?   

Responsibility

We as entrepreneurs and as a brand have the responsibility for our products and the whole supply chain. All the way from an alpaca farmer to the person wearing our products. It is important that it is easy for everyone to tell us their feelings and worries.

Freedom

Freedom is an important value for us. We want everybody to be free to express themselves as who they are. We are entrepreneurs as that is what we want to express. Also we are adventurers, so we want to ask every adventurer to join our adventure.

ALPACA VS. MERINO

What makes alpaca wool superior to Merino sheep's wool and why is Merino sheep's wool often coated with plastic?

The amazing benefits of alpacas come from their thousands of years of living in the rugged environment of the Andes Mountains. In this environment, the alpacas have naturally developed a fiber that can withstand drastic temperature changes, from the freezing temperatures of the night to the scorching sun of the day.

Fiber scales and chemical treatment

Almost all Merino sheep's wool is processed in order to remove the characteristic scales from the wool, which make the sheep's wool sting. The result of the treatment is a smoother coat, but at the same time the properties of the wool deteriorate. For example, wool's ability to repel and transfer moisture is significantly reduced or completely removed.

The so-called Superwash method has either one or two steps, depending on the method. In the first step, the fiber scales are smoothed using a chemical process. In the second step, the fiber is coated, often with plastic, so that it can be machine washed.

Responsible brands use sustainable methods, but according to research, up to 70-75%(1,2) of washable Merino wool products on the market are also covered with plastic to enhance production and soften the skin feel.

Alpaca wool is not chemically treated, as the fiber is naturally fine-scaled. When scales are not removed e.g. the wool's ability to repel and transfer moisture is preserved and it is possible to make knitwear even in demanding conditions.

Fiber air pockets

This is another major structural difference between Merino and Alpaca. Basically, all wools contain air, which creates the characteristic ability of wool to insulate heat. Both wools have this structure, but Alpaca wool contains significantly more of these air pockets and insulates its wearer better.

Although Merino's fiber is longer and thicker, wool is a less effective thermal insulator compared to alpacas(5). Depending on the source, the secretion capacity of alpaca wool compared to Merino is 20-400% (3,4). Airy fibers make the product lighter and enable a warm product with less material.

The differences in the thermal insulation of the wools are related to the differences in the internal structure of the fibers. Merino sheep's wool consists of one type of fiber that does not have a core, while only a small part of alpaca fibers are coreless(4). This core creates air spaces in the fiber and increases the heat insulation of the wool, making alpaca an effective heat insulator(5).

"Depending on the source, the insulating capacity of alpaca wool compared to Merino is 20-400%"

In the end, there are only a handful of Merino sheep wool brands that can really guarantee the product's quality and ethics. When you buy alpaca, you know that the quality of the materials is always top notch.

We create gear for this generation of hikers. Alpaca wool is a genuine high-performance fiber that has evolved naturally, shaped by its environment in the rugged mountains of the Andes. No chemicals, no plastic, no animal abuse - 100% alpaca wool.

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SKUTSI – 100% Alpaca Wool Beanie
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MEHTÄ – 100% Alpaca Wool Neckwarmer
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URSUS – Traditional 100% Alpaca Wool Beanie
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SYSSY - 100% Alpaca Wool Puff Beanie
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Sources

1. A review of the sustainable methods in imparting Shrink resistance to wool fabrics

2. Why is superwash yarn not sustainable?

3. Comparing Natural Fibers

4. Comparison between the thermal insulation properties of Huacayo alpaca and Merino sheep fleeces

5. New World Encyclopedia - Wool

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