Putting the cool back into wool

By Simon Hunter

Thirty years ago wool was cool. And the reason why is because CSIRO had just designed a process called Sirospun which transformed wool from a warm, heavy, winter fabric, to a lightweight, cooler fabric which could be worn any time of year.

Back in the 1980s, this new type of wool was so cool that the International Wool Secretariat launched a Cool Wool marketing campaign, which sought to change the perception of wool from being only a heavy, warm thermal product.

Well it seems some things never go out of fashion, and The Woolmark Company has relaunched Cool Wool in Europe using the tag line ‘When it’s hot, it’s not’.

The new marketing campaign features sheep wearing sunglasses and Saville Row tailors talking up the qualities of the fabric. It’s great to know that thirty years on, CSIRO’s research is still playing a part in fashion and textiles globally.