coming soon.. our new milky merino range...
Fully stoked will soon be offering a range of styles made from Australian merino wool. We're making every effort to make sure this new line is as clean, and green, and beautiful as possible and are so pleased with how everything is coming together. The high quality merino blend (from the Bookham/Yass area in New South Wales), is scoured, knitted, cut and sewn here in Australia. No chemicals are being used in any part of the production process, and we are using only organic dyes. Part of the range will be dyed with good old Eucalyptus with techniques developed by India Flint (see below for more info). We are also sourcing dyes from El Salvador, Holland, and Nepal for some beautiful blues and reds. We hope to have scarves and wraps available in the next couple of weeks, with the greater part of the range - dresses, t-shirts, thermals etc coming in another month or so. These pics show some of the pieces dyed by India with eucalyptus. The range will also include gear for guys, kids and babies so there'll be something for everyone. We will be updating the site with information on the new range as it comes to hand so keep checking back. If you'd like us to contact you when the products become available let us know.
why wool?
Wool is a fantastic fibre for fashion. Grown on the back of the sheep and harvested annually it is a renewable resource. Where sheep are managed properly it is also an ecologically sustainable resource.
Wool can absorb up to 25% of its own weight in water before it even feels damp, making it a perfect fibre for sports, dance or workwear. It has anti-bacterial properties, feels warm in winter, cool in summer and is (along with its sister fibre silk) the fibre that most synthetically produced fibres aspire to copy.
The wool for the new milkymerino range is grown on sheep managed by environmentally aware producers in the Murrumbidgee region of Australia, working to best industry practices. The soft but sturdy fibre is the product of a breeding program designed to eliminate the 'prickle factor' and enhance softness and comfort to produce a fibre that measures a 99.9 % Comfort Factor eliminating the need for the use of undesirable chemicals. Murrumbidgee Merino is worthy of appellation, just like good food or fine wine.
When wool is not treated chemically it retains its natural fire resistant properties and will tolerate extreme heat before burning and releases a nitrogen-rich foam that helps smother flames in the event that it does burn.
colouring...
Our new range will feature styles coloured by India Flint. The fabric can be directly printed using plant material in a process called 'ecoprint' (discovered by India). The ecoprint is a water-based printing process using relatively small quantities of plant material in a recycled dye-bath and requires no adjunct mordants when protein fibres such as silk or wool are used. Wool can be brilliantly coloured and patterned using plant dyes made from such materials as eucalyptus leaves - which in turn can be re-used as mulch. The water-based dye bath requires no adjunct mordants and can be recycled over and over again.Merino and Eucalyptus are a match made in heaven....combining to create soft warm luxurious comfort for everyday wear, coloured in the jewel-like shades of the Australian landscape.
When wool fabrics are dyed using non-toxic plant materials they are safe for babies...and when after years of faithful service garments and blankets are eventually worn out, they make a splendid nitrogen-rich slow release fertilizer for the garden.
