Unlike natural ovine wool, synthetic fleece is comprised entirely of polyester. Although this does not sound very environmentally friendly, polyester is, in fact, often made from recycled plastic, such as cola bottles. It is becoming a strong contender to wool in the outdoor wear market.
Of course, the traditional image of warm clothing is a thick, woolly pullover, handed to you, from your Gran, at Christmas. This wool probably would have come from somewhere like Australia, China or New Zealand. There are also multitudes of smallholders, who produce enough to sell to people for use in their hand-weaving businesses. Statistically, 60% of the wool produced commercially is used by clothes factories. With 1.3 million tons of the stuff being churned out annually, that's a lot of wool.
The creative re-using of household waste is a far cry from the image of mobs of domestic sheep grazing the fields of Texas, waiting to be sheared. But, lovable as the lambs are, wool has its drawbacks, and, prior to the invention of synthetic fleece, there was not much on the market to keep people warm and dry, whilst still being active.
That is why, when this material was discovered, in 1981, it changed the attitude to outdoor clothes forever, and provided a huge rival to the old-fashioned, sheep wool. It was in 1981 that Malden Mills became the first company to trial the innovative new Polartec fleece - and the world has not looked back since.
Synthetic fleece is a fabulous fabric for people who love the great outdoors and enjoy being active. In the past, mountain climbers did not have the advantage of such a good product. The only way for them to keep warm on the cold mountains was simply to put on more layers. This cumbersome method must have been pretty hindering. Synthetic fleece is lightweight, but provides twice the insulation of merino wool and four times that of cotton.
Perspiration will not weigh down fleece fabric because of it's special properties. When wet, synthetic fleece actually performs as well as when it is dry. It still insulates perfectly, it doesn't let body odour escape, and it dries very quickly. It means that it is very good for those who are active, keeping them warm after the activity has stopped.
Where wool is very quick to come apart, another great advantage of synthetic fleece is that is lasts. Just like a plastic bottle lasts, so, clothing made from this material is also enduring. Since the days of George Leigh Mallory's 1924 Everest climb in 1924, and since the 1953 climb of Sir Edmund Hilary fabric has come a long way
As a material that is hypoallergenic, synthetic fleece even solves the problems of those who react badly to wool. It is remarkable really. So much so that, in 1999, Times Magazine named the Polartec fleece one of the hundred greatest objects of the 20th century.
Of course, the traditional image of warm clothing is a thick, woolly pullover, handed to you, from your Gran, at Christmas. This wool probably would have come from somewhere like Australia, China or New Zealand. There are also multitudes of smallholders, who produce enough to sell to people for use in their hand-weaving businesses. Statistically, 60% of the wool produced commercially is used by clothes factories. With 1.3 million tons of the stuff being churned out annually, that's a lot of wool.
The creative re-using of household waste is a far cry from the image of mobs of domestic sheep grazing the fields of Texas, waiting to be sheared. But, lovable as the lambs are, wool has its drawbacks, and, prior to the invention of synthetic fleece, there was not much on the market to keep people warm and dry, whilst still being active.
That is why, when this material was discovered, in 1981, it changed the attitude to outdoor clothes forever, and provided a huge rival to the old-fashioned, sheep wool. It was in 1981 that Malden Mills became the first company to trial the innovative new Polartec fleece - and the world has not looked back since.
Synthetic fleece is a fabulous fabric for people who love the great outdoors and enjoy being active. In the past, mountain climbers did not have the advantage of such a good product. The only way for them to keep warm on the cold mountains was simply to put on more layers. This cumbersome method must have been pretty hindering. Synthetic fleece is lightweight, but provides twice the insulation of merino wool and four times that of cotton.
Perspiration will not weigh down fleece fabric because of it's special properties. When wet, synthetic fleece actually performs as well as when it is dry. It still insulates perfectly, it doesn't let body odour escape, and it dries very quickly. It means that it is very good for those who are active, keeping them warm after the activity has stopped.
Where wool is very quick to come apart, another great advantage of synthetic fleece is that is lasts. Just like a plastic bottle lasts, so, clothing made from this material is also enduring. Since the days of George Leigh Mallory's 1924 Everest climb in 1924, and since the 1953 climb of Sir Edmund Hilary fabric has come a long way
As a material that is hypoallergenic, synthetic fleece even solves the problems of those who react badly to wool. It is remarkable really. So much so that, in 1999, Times Magazine named the Polartec fleece one of the hundred greatest objects of the 20th century.
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