Woolpower – merino wool underwear for different conditions

Woolpower, a clothing company founded in Östersund, Sweden in 1969, is known for its durable and high-quality underwear and accessories. In collaboration with the Swedish Defense Forces, scientists, doctors, and survival experts in the early 1970s, Ullfrotté AB developed Ullfrotté Original, which consists of fine merino wool, polyamide, polyester, and air. Today, the clothing brand is known as Woolpower.

Responsibly from yarns to products

Woolpower manufactures its clothing and socks from yarn to finished products in its own factory in Östersund. With local production, Woolpower can ensure responsible production methods considering both the environment and the working environment of employees'. Seamstresses sew their own name tags inside the garments they make - a practice that brings both responsibility and pride in their work.

The company purchases merino wool directly from manufacturers, ensuring that they take care for the well-being of the sheep. Merino wool is sourced from Patagonia, at the southern tip of the South American continent, namely Uruguay and Argentina. Woolpower aims to support sheep farming in the region, because sheep husbandry plays an important role in revitalizing the impoverished soil of Patagonia. Grazing sheep spread seeds and help renew soil vegetation. The wool is washed and dyed in Germany and spun in Romania.

Woolpower's production is certified according to ISO9001 and ISO14001 standards. Waste materials from production are used to make felt insoles and slippers, as well as seat supports. The Ullfrotté Original knit fabric has been awarded Oeko-Tex standard 100, indicating that the product does not contain harmful substances such as pesticide residues, heavy metals, or formaldehyde.

Woolpower terry cloth - merino wool, polyamide and air

Ullfrotté Original is terry knit, with one side smooth knit and the other side looped terry. The fluffy loops and curly wool fibres create a knit fabric that traps air well. Up to 80% of the material is air, which makes the fabric excellent at trapping body heat. The thicker the layer of air around the body, the more heat is absorbed. Unlike textiles, air does not significantly conduct heat away from the skin. Since the airy fabric comes into minimal contact with the skin, there are fewer points for body heat to escape through.

The airy terry cloth knit moves moisture away from the skin. As body temperature rises, the skin begins to sweat, and the air pressure under the clothes increases. Moisture molecules tend to escape into the colder air with lower pressure. The fibres used in the airy material help moisture move away from the skin. This property facilitates heat dissipation during physical activity and helps keep the skin dry and maintain thermal regulation. The material provides the greatest benefit when it simultaneously traps heat and moves sweat away from the skin. Ullfrotté Original binds heat even when wet.

Merino wool is fine, soft and curly, making it ideal for garments worn against the skin. The wool fibre used in Ullfrotté Original is 22 micrometres, or thousandths of a millimetre; the smaller the number, the finer the fibre and the softer it feels on the skin. Wool has excellent properties, but durability is not its best feature. Polyamide and polyester are added to Woolpower products to enhance durability.

Seamless comfort

Woolpower's merino wool underwear and headwear feel like a second skin. They are thin and seamless, preventing chafing, itching, or sweating. The bodies, sleeves and legs of the shirts are knitted with circular knitting machines to minimize seams.

Knitted parts are washed and shrunk in water to strengthen the fabric. The secret to soft and fitting products is shaping the parts with metal forms using heat and steam after they have dried.

Woolpower Lite – cooler option

Woolpower Lite is smooth knit with fewer contact points on the skin than terry knit. Smooth knit traps less air than terry knit.

Lite is suitable for year-round use, especially in warm conditions, as it efficiently transports excess heat away from the skin. Lite feels comfortably cool against the skin in warm weather and provides warmth as temperatures drop.

Woolpower Protection protects against heat, flame, and electric arc hazards

Woolpower also offers flame-retardant Protection underwear—protective clothing against heat and flame EN ISO 11612: A1 B1 C1, as well as protective clothing against electric arc IEC 61482-2:2009 class 1 (4kA). Wool is a low-flammability material and does not melt. Due to these properties, wool clothing in direct contact with the skin provides protection against severe burns. Woolpower Protection is a combination of merino wool, viscose (Lenzing FR®), and antistatic fibres. Patented knitting technology makes the Protection material both flame-resistant and comfortable to wear.

Easy-care wool underwear

One of the great qualities of wool is that it does not necessarily need to be washed after every use. Sometimes, simply airing it out in fresh air is enough.

Wool has a self-cleaning property: it binds and neutralizes odours exceptionally well compared to other fibres. This is why wool products are easy to care for and do not smell, as the keratin in wool destroys odour-causing bacteria on the skin. The core of the wool fibre consists of two types of cells that absorb different amounts of moisture. Some cells swell and create continuous friction between these two cells.

Ullfrotté Original and Woolpower Lite products are easy to care for: you can wash them in a 60-degree wash with similar colours. You can wash them with a mild soap-based detergent or completely without detergent. Washing the products inside out extends their lifespan.

The Swedish and Norwegian defense forces, as well as many large industrial customers, have considered a 60-degree wash temperature as an absolute requirement. Damp clothes and a temperature of 20-40 degrees provide excellent conditions for bacteria growth, and certain bacteria only die when clothes are washed at 60 degrees. A 40-degree wash is usually sufficient for mid-layer garments made of Ullfrotté Original, because they are not worn against the skin and thus do not collect dirt from the skin.

For the best results, tumble dry or lay flat to dry the garments. You can dry the products in a dryer at medium heat. The clothes may shrink slightly, but they are elastic and adapt pleasantly to the body's contours. Terry products made from natural materials may pill during use, but this does not diminish their properties.

Visit to the Östersund factory

Four Image Wear employees - Eastern Finland Area Manager Matti, Key Account Manager Tytti, Western Uusimaa Area Manager Niina, and our CEO Jari - visited the Östersund factory to gain a deeper understanding of Woolpower's production. The multi-stage production process includes yarn conditioning, fabric resting, multiple washing and drying cycles, and a unique, handcraft-like sewing phase. They also had the opportunity to try the garment sewing themselves.

We help you find suitable Woolpower products for your working day

In Image Wear's selection, you can find merino wool Woolpower underwear and mid-layer clothes. Woolpower products are well suited for layering and you can create a suitable combination with them for varying weather conditions. Check out the products in our online store or in our store, or contact us. You can find our contact information here. We help you find the right products for your working day.