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Woolpower - Ullfrotte Original
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Woolpower - Ullfrotte Original
The Company:
Roughly 350km south of the Polar Circle sits the Swedish city of Östersund, home to the clothing company Ullfrotte AB. Founded in 1969 originally to produce nylon stockings, it forms part of a small group of manufacturing companies run by the family-owned Gransfors Bruks Moderbolag.Soon after the company’s inception, the staff at Ullfrotte AB worked alongside scientists, doctors, survival experts and the Swedish military to produce the Ullfrotte Original material, a hard-wearing, insulating blend of wool and synthetics, and ever since the first garments were produced in 1972 the entire production has stayed rooted in Östersund.
Almost 50 years on and Ullfrotte AB, with their team of about 30 people, is 'fully committed to the production of warm undergarments and mid-layer clothing' of the highest quality under the name of Woolpower. Despite their modestly-sized workforce and the family-owned nature of their parent company, Woolpower have built a reputation as one of the leading forces in cold-weather clothing, with approximately 70% of their sales being exported to around 20 countries across the globe.
The Woolpower range has long been recommended by Ray and the Woodlore Team for use in various locations: the majority (if not all) of Woodlore's outdoor team wear layers of Ullfrotte when out in the field here in the UK, while it has become a staple of those visiting the frozen North on our courses in Norway and Sweden. The durability of the material teamed with its incredible ability to retain body heat has led to various Ullfrotte garments turning up on many of Woodlore's kit lists year in, year out.
This year, in recognition of our strong belief in the Ullfrotte range and the growing commitment between Woolpower and Woodlore, our outdoor team are proud to be wearing garments generously provided by Woolpower.
The Material:
So what is it that makes their garments so efficient at retaining body heat? The most important factor is the choice of materials used to make them. The Ullfrotte Original fabric is made up of 2/3 fine Merino Wool and 1/3 synthetic material consisting of polyamide/polyester and air. This mixture gives the garment the unique properties of wool while also taking advantage of the durability of synthetics, providing the optimal balance of fibres.The finished textile is highly wear-resistant, whilst also extremely soft and comfortable thanks to the use of wool from Merino sheep - a breed whose wool fibres are much finer than those of other sheep. Up until recently, Woolpower have sourced their wool from Merino sheep farmed in Australia, where the controversial mulesing method is used to prevent fly infestation. After looking for an alternative source of wool that met their high standards of quality, they have now made the decision to buy their fine Merino Wool from the Patagonia region of South America, 'where ethical handling of the sheep can be guaranteed.'
Woolpower's efforts to increase comfort to the wearer don't stop at their choice of materials. Unique, circular knitting machines are used to make each part of the garment, creating tubes of material completely free of seams. The main advantage of this style of manufacturing, as Woolpower put it, 'is that the finished garments have a minimum number of seams, which allows for better body conformity and comfort, and eliminates excessive rubbing from bulky seams.' There is also the reduced risk of seams becoming worn and breaking after long use.
Woolpower encourage diversity in the workload of their employees by ensuring that every step in the manufacturing process is taken care of by one seamstress for each garment, helping them to avoid being sat at the same desk doing the same task day in, day out. Just as a Gransfors Bruks axe smith would stamp his initials onto his finished axe head, each seamstress at Woolpower sews their name tag into their finished garment.