Secure couture
Think merino wool and images of romantic high country sheep stations and glamorous models strutting down catwalks in the latest designer outfits spring to mind. But a recent discovery has exposed new uses for merino that may shatter those preconceptions forever. Richard Worrall reports.
Merino wool is usually noted for its softness rather than its toughness. But that may change as merino gets ready to make a bold transition into the world of functional protective clothing and hopefully establish a lucrative new high-value niche export market.
By combining merino wool with certain synthetic fibres, scientists at AgResearch have developed an interesting new stab-proof material. That in itself is noteworthy, but what makes this material special is that it can also be manufactured and worn like a normal garment.
AgResearch even debuted a jacket made from the material at New Zealand Fashion Week last September and hopes to have the groundbreaking material ready for commercial release within 12 months.
AgResearch's Team Leader for Smart and Technical Textiles, Stewart Collie, says the material is a combination of fine merino wool, which forms a short-fibre outer surface, and a synthetic core made from a yarn called Vectran.
Vectran is a wholly-aromatic liquid-crystal-polymer-based fibre that was developed several years ago for applications such as cut resistant gloves for butchers and the aerospace industry. It is notable for its cut resistance, high strength and high modulus, with the end result being a very strong backing structure for the wool. "Cut and penetration resistance are not the traditional properties of wool so we use the composite material to compensate for that," says Mr Collie.
