The Fiber Files: Wool
How to buy it, wear it, wash it, and more
Welcome to the Fiber Files! This is the start of yet another series in which I’ll be breaking down the nitty gritty of different garment fibers. Having a more thorough understanding of textiles has played a huge role in my journey as both a fashion fan and a vintage dealer. If you’re already bored, stay with me! I promise that at least some of this is pretty interesting, and it does all tie back to vintage. Learning about chemical breakdowns may seem kind of irrelevant when you’re just a person buying a sweater, but this information can really help you better choose and care for your clothes. When you start thinking about the elements of your clothing super literally, stuff like cleaning and mending just start to make more sense.
Today’s installation of the Fiber Files is all about wool. We’re in the thick of wool-wearing season here in North America, so there’s a good chance it’s somewhere in your wardrobe rotation. Let’s get into it!
What is wool?
If you’re thinking about sheep, you’re most of the way there. Broadly, “wool” refers to the textile fibers obtained from a variety of fluffy creatures including sheep, goats, rabbits, and camelids. While there are specific names used to describe the fibers from different animals, they are all considered types of wool.
Wool is both an animal fiber and a natural fiber. Like most other animal fibers, wool is made up of proteins and lipids. The chemical makeup of wool fibers determines properties like warmth, insulation, and how it reacts with other chemicals. Wool is similar to hair or fur in many ways, but is distinct in its elasticity, natural crimp, and protein content. That protein is especially important to remember when it comes to cleaning, as certain types of cleaning products contain active ingredients that are specifically designed to break down proteins. Great when you’re trying to tackle a protein-based stain (like blood), not so great when your cleaner is degrading the literal fibers of your sweater.
“Natural fiber” means that the creation of the fiber is a natural process, obtained in a raw state from a naturally occurring source. Chemical processes are often involved in the treatment of the fibers after they’re obtained, like in cleaning and dyeing, but the fiber itself is still considered natural. As with every type of fiber, wool has benefits and downsides. Wool is naturally insulating, water-repellant, and biodegradable. However, it is more expensive than synthetic imitations, and often comes with serious animal rights concerns.
Types of Wool
There’s a huge amount of separating and washing and other processing before wool is made into fabric. There are a ton of different industry categorizations for wool, but as consumers we’re usually only given one key fact: where the wool came from. The specific type of wool, indicating what kind of animal the fibers came from, will be listed on a garment’s fiber contents label. These include…
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