The Wool Runners

About

The Wool Runners are:  A World First: woolen running shoes specifically designed for sockless wear. Engineered With A Proprietary Woolen Fabric: strong enough to construct the entire shoe upper. Made From Wool – The Original Performance Fabric: that controls odor, regulates temperature, repels water, wicks away moisture, and resists stains and dirt.  And, a sustainable resource! Uniquely designed: for running, jogging, walking and everything in-between.  Crafted to be as comfortable in a pair of jeans as they are in the gym. Machine Washable: you can pop them in the wash on a wool cycle and they'll come out good as new. Made in Portugal: and, designed in New Zealand For Wool Running: a 265g / 9 oz., TPS rubber, 3mm drop, single seam shoe of unparalleled softness and comfort that will revolutionise the shoe experience for the everyday athlete. The Beginning Of A Whole New Category Of Footwear: based on the natural, renewable and biodegradable benefits offered by wool. The Problem The simple reason was no woolen fabric existed that was strong enough. Existing woolen fabrics didn’t have the strength and structure to hold a three-dimensional shape, and were in most cases too stretchy. The Solution Over the past two years, with the help of a grant from the New Zealand wool industry funding organisation WIRL, and with help of the clever people at world-leading textile institute AgResearch, we engineered our own.  The result is a unique, patent pending, world-first fabric, designed specifically to have the strength and structure to make a shoe upper, with the comfort and abrasion resistance to be worn without socks. Primarily made from mid-micron New Zealand sheep's wool, the unique patent pending process comprises knitting together wool fibres, melt-bond fibres, and multifilament yarn to form a unique knitted fabric.  This fabric is then finished using a selection of processes to give it the characteristics suitable for use as a shoe upper. How It Works Shoe Science: The synthetic fibres most commonly used in shoes actually increase body odor because they create a breeding ground for bacteria.  Wool Science: Unlike synthetic fabrics, wool does not retain odors and will freshen just from airing out.  Wool reduces the opportunity for odours to develop by quickly absorbing sweat and evaporating it into the air.  In addition, the outer layer of wool fibers have a high concentration of fatty acids, which have anti-bacterial properties.  Wool Care: Our intense testing process indicates your Wool Runners will go about a month without smelling.  You can greatly enhance the odour fighting properties of your Wool Runners simply by airing them out.  The shoes are also machine washable and a run through on a wool cycle should leave them smelling good as new.