When materials matter
It is important to us at Ayo Oslo that you are confident that the clothes you wear are good for the planet, animals and yourself. We choose to have an open communication regarding how our clothes are made and where our clothes come from.
Mongolian cattle, sheep, goats and camels are raised naturally, and spend most of their lives in open, unfenced pastures, making the wool organic. It goes without saying that the nomadic herders of Mongolia do not practise mulesing.
The wool is hand-combed by the herders. This will not only financially secure the herders, but the animals will also enjoy a breezier summer.
Wool from Mongolia is considered to be amongst the highest quality wool in the world. The animals are able to yield superior quality wool fibres because of the harsh winter temperatures, at times -40 degrees.These animals yield some of the best quality natural wool fibres in the world.The animals graze in the vast steppes of Mongolia and are free from mulesing practices.
Softest: Cashmere Wool
Cashmere from Mongolian herders is considered the world´s finest. Cashmere goats that live in harsh winter climates, like in Mongolia, produce a thick undercoat of fine down and long fibres.
Cashmere wool is said to be eight times warmer than sheep (merino) wool, significantly lighter and softer.
Cashmere wool is the softest wool we have in our arsenal of wool. If you like it soft, go for cashmere!
Most lustrous: Camel Wool
It is soft and warm, and has a very similar fibre structure to cashmere. We use the undercoat of the camel in our garments. The characteristic of camel hair is its hue (tanned colour) and its incredible lustre. It is strong and durable. It doesn’t felt easy due to its long fibres.
Warmest: Yak Wool
Yaks are a type of longhaired bovine that has been used for over a thousand years in Mongolia. The yak wool quality is almost comparable to cashmere wool, between 16 to 19 microns. Yak wool has all the properties of all natural fibres. It is known to outperform other wool in breathability and warmth due to the content of myristic acid.
So if you like it hot, don't hesitate to go for yak wool. You'll be surprised how warm yak wool is, and even more surprise of how soft it is! It is a know fact that the difference between yak wool and cashmere wool is marginal - some can't even tell the difference!
hand combed wool
Wool in Mongolia is hand harvested by the herders during molting season.
This will ensure a comfortable and breezy spring and summertime for the ruminant by offloading excess wool which has been necessary throughout the harsh and cold winter.
The hand combed raw material is then sorted into different grades - also this procedure is done by hand.
It then undergoes a washing and dehairing process. Dehairing is when coarser hair fibre is removed from finer hair prior to the superior noble fibre being spun and knitted into garments.
The best quality is used for clothing, while the inferior qualities is used for rugs or textiles intended for interior design. The coarser types of wool is also used for insulation because of its many amazing properties, amongst them for absorbing sound and supressessing mold and mildew.
