The Opportunity
We've farmed ultra fine merino at Glenaan Station for four generations. Worn close to the skin, it feels like nothing else.
But soft fibres stretch, sag and wear thin. Most of the industry fixes that with synthetics, nylon and elastane blended in for shape and strength. We didn't want to ruin the natural beauty of merino with synthetics, which led us to question “what if we blended it with Hemp?”
What we love about hemp
Hemp is an environmental superfibre, boasting the highest CO2 absorption rate. It grows fast, needs no pesticides and actually improves the soil it's grown in.
As a yarn, Hemp is the most durable natural textile on the planet, being up to 5x stronger than cotton. It brings structure to the soft merino so the garments wear and age better.
It is naturally breathable and resistant to odour, and it softens more with every wash rather than less.
What we love about merino
Ours is super fine ZQ merino, meaning it's a finer fibre than standard wool, and super soft against your skin. A ZQ certification means every fleece is certified for animal welfare and land management back to the farm it came from.
As a yarn, it's naturally moisture-wicking and temperature-regulating, so it keeps you warm in the cold and cool when you work up a sweat, without any of the bulk.
Blended with hemp, it brings the softness and warmth that hemp can't manage on its own.
| Hemprino | Synthetic Knitwear |
|---|---|
| 100% natural fibres | Processed polymer fibres |
| Breathable & odor resistant | Can trap sweat & smell |
| Absorbs up to 30% moisture | Limited moisture absorption |
| Microplastic free | Sheds microplastics when washed |
| Durable & Biodegradable | Contributes to a large amount of landfill pollution |
| Soft & comfortable even on sensitive skin | Produces static and can irritate sensitive skin |
Tried and tested
Our ZQ Merino x Hemp blend has been lab tested for shape retention, strength, abrasion resistance and pilling, and it holds up to or beyond standard market requirements on all four.
Tested against TWCTM-31 (dimensional stability), TWCTM-39 (burst strength), TWCTM-112 (abrasion resistance) and TWCTM-152 (fabric pilling).
More About Hemp
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Hemp is a plant fibre. Like linen and bamboo, it comes from the stem rather than a seed pod or an animal. In the right conditions it grows fast, needs very little water or pesticide, and yields more fibre per hectare than most other natural fibres.
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Yes. It needs next to no inputs to grow, and rather than stripping nutrients from the soil, it puts them back in, which is why it's often grown as a rotation crop between other plantings. Less land, less water, less spraying, more soil left in good condition afterwards.
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No. They're the same plant family, Cannabis sativa, but hemp has next to no THC in it, so there's no way to get a "high" from it. Hemp seed extract actually turns up a lot in wellness and skincare products, prized for how moisturising it is.
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A long time. Hemp cloth dates back thousands of years, and it's been valued across cultures ever since for exactly the strength and durability we use it for today.
