FÅRTEX®
SHEAR
For sheep, being sheared is a wonderful feeling, it’s freedom. Normally, sheep visit their "hairdresser" twice a year, but in Sweden, about 60% of all sheared wool is discarded. There are several reasons for this, but mainly it’s because the fashion industry has decided it only wants soft merino wool from New Zealand and Australia, which is such a shame! Swedish wool is also fantastic and deserves to be utilised. Wool is: biodegradable, eco-friendly, antibacterial, fire-resistant, warming in cold weather, cooling in warm weather, able to retain its insulating ability even when wet.
Of course, all our wool is mulesing-free! It’s hard to comprehend how this treatment of animals has been accepted by us as consumers. Mulesing involves removing skin from the sheep’s rump to prevent parasite infections. Swedish sheep live under very good conditions, and thanks to the cold climate, they don't suffer from parasites.
SORTING
We have personally visited the sheep farms to buy and collect the wool, and then transport it to our local washing partner on Gotland. We buy all types of wool, prickly, dirty, sheared in spring or autumn.
FÅRTEX® is an insulation you won’t see, only experience, as it forms the insulation inside the garments.
We are able to use the wool that the rest of the industry ignores, and we pay the farmers for all the work involved in raising the sheep.
The wool still needs to be roughly cleaned. There must be no straw or manure left when it’s sent to the washing facility. We spread the wool out on a long table and pick out hay and other debris by hand.
Time-consuming or mindfulness practice, it all depends on how you choose to see it.
WASH
The wool is washed at Ullkontoret, on the beautiful island of Gotland, Sweden’s only large-scale wool washing facility.
An important part of our vision is to make the process from farmer to garment 100% local. The wool never leaves Swedish borders. This is completely unique to Wool Rebel. When you purchase a Wool Rebel garment, you’re not only making a sustainable choice, you’re also supporting local craftsmanship.
Ullkontoret heats the water using wind power and wood pellets. The water is recycled, and only eco-friendly detergents without harmful chemicals are used for washing.
The washing process consists of five washing tubs in a row. In each tub, large "forks" rotate the wool through the water. At the end of each tub, rollers press the water back into the tub while the wool moves on to the next one.
After washing, the wool is dried in a drying room with large fans. Finally, the clean wool is compressed into bales and transported to the wool carding machines in Småland.
CARDING
The wool carding machines we use are located in a small village in Småland. They are run by fantastic entrepreneurs who operate an environmentally conscious carding business, primarily serving the premium automotive industry and "Hästens Beds."
For us, it wasn’t a straight path to Småland. We have carded at several small-scale mills across Sweden, where we had the opportunity to experiment and make beginner mistakes. After three years of testing and prototyping, FÅRTEX® is now a sophisticated, fluffy wool insulation made from 100% pure wool, with no plastics or other additives. FÅRTEX® insulation is only found in Wool Rebel garments.
SEW
Finally, FÅRTEX® is sent to microfactories in Sweden, or as close to Sweden as possible. With the help of exceptionally skilled seamstresses, all Wool Rebel garments are personally cut and sewn. FÅRTEX® is perfectly quilted together with the outer fabrics.
We really enjoy visiting the sewing factories in their bright, clean, and modern facilities, and we do so as often as we can.