A 30-YEAR focus on producing total comfort wool has led to the latest fashion line from Gostwyck Merino, with baby and maternity wear collection henry and grace launched at the Uralla property last week.
Gostwyck Merino owners Philip and Alison Attard are no strangers to the fashion world, having sold Gostwyck Merino garments since 2003, but this is the first brand targeted at the babywear market.
The new brand takes its name from Mrs Attard's ancestors, Henry and Grace Dangar, who purchased "Gostwyck" in 1834.
All wool used in the brand is grown on the 2600-hectare property.
The machine washable range includes baby wraps, leggings, hoodies T-shirts and bodysuits, as well as dresses, tops and leggings in the maternity wear.
The team put garments to the test at the launch last Friday, using a Wool ComfortMeter to assess harshness and prickle – a leading reason for some people to avoid wearing wool.
“It scans the fabric for thick fibres which may cause skin discomfort,” Mr Attard said.
“Over the years we’ve found that the best kind of wool to grow was about 16.5-micron, but what we really wanted was a total comfort Merino wool – something that’s suitable to be next to skin.”
With micron being the greatest contributor to comfort factor, every fleece is measured at shearing. Only fleeces that pass the Wool ComfortMeter test go into the ultrafine Merino line.
“We separate fleeces into superfine (15.6 to 17.3-micron), ultrafine (14.6 to 15.5-micron) and ultimate wool (14.5-micron and finer), and henry and grace garments are made from ultrafine wool,” Mr Attard said.
“We test garments using the Wool ComfortMeter and some items are similar to very fine cotton, but with the properties of wool – it breathes and has good moisture management as well as thermal management.
“We realised that this material was so good that it could go against the softest of skins, and there's nothing softer than a baby’s skin. This is even finer than cashmere.”
The henry and grace range is available online, and the Attards are looking to export to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.