You probably know the feeling: You’re on the way home from a hot yoga class or hard mountain bike ride — and counting down the seconds until you can strip off your sweat-soaked clothing and let your skin breathe.
But what if it didn’t need to be that way? What if you could bask in your endorphin-fueled bliss, thinking about nothing else besides your epic workout.
All of this is where our sustainable wool athleisure gear (SWAG) comes in. Made of naturally sustainable Merino, our slim legging pants, tanks, hoodie, and more are staple pieces designed to transition seamlessly between working out, working, life-ing, and relaxing, all while providing the performance and health benefits of natural fibers.
“Whenever people ask me about what synthetics I should try to eliminate first, they're kind of surprised that I say like your underwear and your workout clothes,” says Meg Carney, founder of The Outdoor Minimalist. “I think that's an area of our life that we're not thinking about that often.”
Here’s a look at the benefits sustainable wool athleisure can provide.
Incredible Performance
Merino is packed with 100-percent natural properties that are tailor-made for getting after it. It’s able to hold up to 30% of its weight in water without feeling wet, keeping you dry and comfortable when you sweat. It’s also thermo-regulating, meaning it helps you maintain your optimal core temperature, keeping you cool when it’s hot and hot when it’s cool. The fiber also traps odor leaving you funk-free, and it has a natural SPF 30 rating to protect your skin from the sun.
“There’s still this huge dependence and almost misinformation campaign about synthetic fibers being better [than natural], but in my opinion, this is just because it’s cheaper to use polyester,” says Carney. “But historically wool actually has been used for centuries as the best choice for outdoor adventure.”
Support for Your Health & Well-Being
Okay, so this is a big one. There’s a growing body of research that shows that natural fibers—free of microplastics, BPA and PFAS—are much better for your health. This may be especially true for women.
Workout gear and mainstream athleisure often contain dangerously high levels of forever chemicals like BPA and PFAS. Exposure to these chemicals are linked to increased risk of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, as well as a variety of conditions affecting women including recurrent miscarriage, polycystic ovarian syndrome (POCS), and endometrial hyperplasia (a precancerous condition affecting the uterine lining).
Additionally, the dyes used on polyesters (azobenzene disperse dyes) can create allergic reactions and skin sensitivity. You know that feeling where you can’t wait to get synthetic workout clothes off your body? That might just be your body’s way of saying they shouldn’t be there in the first place.
Gentle on the Planet
As a natural fiber, Merino degrades back into the soil. It is biodegradable and renewable. Compare this with petroleum-based fibers can take hundreds of years to decompose. “Even when products are recycled polyester, you still need to consider microplastic shedding, chemical usage during production, and the afterlife of the garments,” says Carney.
Seamless Transitions
The ability for Merino to absorb sweat without feeling wet, stay funk-free, and be gentle on sensitive skin gives our SWAG the superpower of transitioning easily from workout to hang out. We created each piece with a tremendous amount of intention to work for as many parts of your life as possible. They are buttery soft and work as well on the mountain as they do at the coffee shop, at the grocery store, on an airplane, or even in bed for a great night’s sleep.
You don’t need to rush home and take a shower immediately after working out if life gets in the way. You can also wear it multiple times without the need to wash. This makes the pieces especially helpful for travel and backpacking.
Minimalist Lifestyle
“There’s a theory that if you’re going to wear something for 30 days or more of the year, it might be worth purchasing,” says Carney. “But if you don’t see yourself wearing it that often, you probably don’t actually need it.” She says that questioning your purchases doesn’t just help protect your wallet, it helps ensure that you buy what actually supports your lifestyle and won’t lead to that crushing feeling of clutter or over consumption.
Our SWAG collection is designed to be timeless. It takes what we love from our most-favorite shirts and pants and transforms them into staple styles that perform while we do everything from working out to working in a home office.
Carney says one thing to keep in mind about natural fiber pieces is that while they aren’t necessarily more difficult to care for than synthetics, they do require a gentle touch. Gently hand-wash in natural detergent and leave to dry in the sunshine and they’ll last you a lifetime of epic adventures.
We’re curious… which pieces of SWAG do you like best? Is there anything we missed? Let us know at info@branwyn.com or on social at @branwynofficial.
