What Is Nuyarn? All Questions Answered
Fiber and fabric innovation has been in motion for decades, but just recently, some industry advances have become part of the consumer vocabulary. One unturned stone though is Nuyarn, a fiber not yet popular with consumers, but of increasing popularity with athletic apparel brands and startups. So, What exactly is Nuyarn?
Nuyarn is a type of performance wool that’s uniquely made to retain more of the wool’s natural characteristics, which make it softer, less itchy, stronger, and plusher. The eco-friendly yarn offers excellent thermoregulation and moisture management, just like conventional wool.
This guide will present Nuyarn, including descriptions of how it’s made, why it’s beneficial, and how it’s a viable addition to any athleticwear collection. Whether you manufacture or distribute athletic apparel, you won’t want to miss this!
What Is Nuyarn?
Nuyarn is a type of performance wool that was founded by Andy Wynne in New Zealand. The company’s mission was to develop a stronger, softer, and more comfortable wool fiber.
In many ways, what everyone knows about wool is the result of how it's manufactured from fiber to yarn. The itchiness and coarse feelings, for example, are all byproducts of how it's made.
To make wool fibers, wool typically undergoes a spinning process. However, many manufacturers will twist the wool too much. This creates a series of negative effects, including:
The wool loses its air pockets, as the twisting flattens those pockets to nothing.
The fibers also develop loops yet are constricted in their ability to naturally move.
What results is a structure akin to rope and a texture that, when worn on the skin, is typically very itchy and uncomfortable.
How Does Nuyarn Make Wool Differently?
Nuyarn isn’t made via spinning but by drafting instead. According to Wynne, drafting entails taking wool fibers and pulling them to produce a high-performance filament. The result is a dual-ply yarn that doesn’t lose an ounce of aeration. Improving nearly every functional attribute, from comfort to durability.
Comparing Nuyarn to Conventional Wool
Nuyarn is far more voluminous, so when comparing conventional wool to a fabric made of Nuyarn, it feels more substantial but lighter. According to Nuyarn, the rate of aeration and volume can be close to 35 percent greater than other wool fibers.
It’s through a combination of aeration and volume that Nuyarn so efficiently absorbs water vapors, offers air resistance, breathes well, and thermoregulates. The burst strength and elasticity are both excellent as well, as is the abrasion resistance.
All of these functional abilities are why Nuyarn is finding its rightful place in the performance apparel industry, namely sportswear, and activewear.
What Is Nuyarn Made Of?
Nuyarn is a type of merino wool that, as the Nuyarn site says, is “merino wool made better.” If you’re not familiar with merino wool, it's important to level set on the difference between it and traditional wool, because it isn't your average wool.
Merino wool is sourced from a breed of sheep known as merino sheep, which are common in Spain, New Zealand, and Australia. The wool that merino sheep produce is softer and finer than traditional wool. And harvesting merino wool is a very eco-friendly process.
The wool that’s stripped from the sheep happens painlessly with the animal’s wellbeing in mind. It takes a merino sheep roughly six weeks to regrow its fleece, so the sheep won’t spend too long without their trademark wool.
But, merino wool has several special distinctions that make it an advantageous fiber for apparel:
Odor-Resistant: The wool also contains lanolin, a type of natural wax that sheep secrete that’s incredibly moisturizing. More so than that, lanolin is odor-resistant. Even when harvesting merino wool, the lanolin within the wool remains so that garments made with merino carry odor-resistant properties as well.
Biodegradable: Because it’s a natural fiber, merino wool is biodegradable.
Thermoregulating: The fleece of merino sheep is also great at thermoregulation. In other words, it can help keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
Holds Shape and Color: Merino wool is also quite stretchy, making it a great candidate for activewear garments that need to move with you.
Anti-Wrinkle and Anti-Static: Merino wool is also anti-wrinkle and anti-static, meaning clothes made with merino are less likely to show wear and tear and will remain to look newer for longer - an important factor for consumers.
Lightweight: Merino wool is also incredibly lightweight.
Moisture-Wicking: Perhaps one of the most important properties of merino wool for activewear is that it’s excellent at moisture-wicking.
Insulation: Merino wool is also an insulator, so it will help keep you warm in cooler weather.
In addition to all of those points, merino wool is softer than standard wool. The reason it's important to understand the traits of merino wool is that they are the backbone of Nuyarn.
That is, even from the start, Nuyarn is working with the highest-grade wool fiber available.
Why Is Nuyarn Better Than Conventional Wool?
Just comparing conventional wool to merino wool, it’s clear that the latter has some serious advantages. But what makes Nuyarn stand out even further than conventional wool?
The comparison isn't even close and for so many reasons that matter to consumers. Let’s go over them now.
Conventional Wool is Less Sustaianable
Sourcing wool is a sustainable practice so long as the animals remain unharmed whether this is done for traditional or merino wool, but the production processes diverge after that.
Producing conventional wool requires more spinning, which means the machinery in the wool production plant has to work that much harder. These machines will use electricity or burn fossil fuels at a more accelerated rate compared to the manufacturing process for Nuyarn.
Since Nuyarn isn't spun, and it certainly isn’t twisted past the point of having any tangible benefits, it requires less energy supply than other wool options.
Conventional Wool Itchy
Everyone equates wool sweaters with itchiness. It’s enough to turn most people off the idea of wearing wool altogether, even though wool manufacturing has made major strides.
In stark contrast, even though Nuyarn arrived on the scene in 2013, many consumers aren't seeking it as an alternative just yet, even though it doesn't itch your skin.
Nuyarn holds its shape nicely, feels as soft as butter on the skin, and never produces that itchy sensation. All of these are important attributes that could be wrapped into marketing sales initiatives for brands that utilize this fiber technology.
Conventional Wool Doesn't Stretch Well
Elasticity is important in garments, especially athletic apparel, but traditional wool garments have compressed all the air out of the fibers, which makes them poor options for activewear.
Even if some have great moisture properties, if the garment won't bend shape, then it's nearly useless to the category. Nuyarn, by comparison, is much more pliable.
Conventional Wool Doesn't Last As Long
All wool garments are designed for longevity, but the lack of tensile strength that traditional wool has when going toe-to-toe with Nuyarn (so to speak) says enough. Traditional wool will not last nearly as long as Nuyarn because of its lower durability.
Alright, the point's been made - Nuyarn is superior to conventional wool, and even merino wool. So let's shift gears and focus solely on Nuyarn and do a deep-dive into its benefits, and why they should matter to your brand.
What Are the Benefits of Nuyarn?
There are yet more advantages still in selecting Nuyarn as a fabric choice for your apparel company. Here are some of its most desirable perks.
Better For the Environment
The lack of elasticity that flattened wool fibers possess can leave this material stiff and unyielding. To accommodate for that, it’s not uncommon for manufacturers to add synthetic fibers that might not be the best for our planet.
Nuyarn foregoes synthetic fibers yet still has an amazing degree of stretch, among a vast number of desired features.
Incredible Durability
The durability of Nuyarn is one of its biggest advantages by far. The company breaks down its durability into three factors, seam strength, abrasion resistance, and burst strength.
Nuyarn Seam Strength
When producing Nuyarn, the seams are put to the test for strength and longevity against merino wool seams.
Those seams weakened when the applied rate of torque was only three kilograms, which is approximately 6.61 pounds. Merino wool seams can’t stand up to very much force. Nuyarn's seams capably handled up to eight kilograms of torque pressure, which is 17.64 pounds.
When you do the math, Nuyarn seams are 120 percent stronger than merino wool.
The abrasion resistance of Nuyarn is exceptional as well.
Nuyarn Abrasion Resistance
When undergoing Martindale abrasion testing, a standard for durability, Nuyarn was capable of abrasion resistance at a rate of 8.8 times more than core-spun and ring-spun wools.
Nuyarn Burst Strength
The fibers are never twisted during manufacturing to induce tension, as you already know. This maintains the structural integrity of the fibers for a 50-percent increase in burst strength and tensile strength.
Soft and Easy to Wear
This has been mentioned several times, but worth reiterating since it’s such an important factor - Nuyarn is exceptionally soft. The fibers are never twisted during the spinning process and as a result, the fabric has a lower density which makes it feel lighter on the skin.
Between the plush softness of Nuyarn, its shape retention, and its anti-wrinkle properties, this merino-based fabric is so easy for consumers to pull out of the drawer or closet, put on, and go!
How Is Nuyarn Good for Activewear?
For the longest time, athletes have wanted to use some of the properties of wool for activities, but it was too impractical. That's where performance wool, a moniker for Nuyarn comes in, and what is ultimately opening doors to new business.
Keeping in mind everything you know about Nuyarn to this point, you can see why it’s an excellent choice for athletic apparel producers and distributors to consider.
Here are the traits of Nuyarn that make it such a top fabric for making activewear.
Air and Wind Resistance
Air pockets that Nuyarn retains might seem like they’d let in more air, but just the opposite happens. The loftiness of the fabric prevents both air and wind from traveling through a Nuyarn garment.
The rate of air resistance is up to 53 percent more compared to traditional yarn. All it takes is wearing a traditional wool garment on a cold day versus a Nuyarn garment and the difference will be readily apparent.
The barriers that the aerated fabric in Nuyarn provides never limit breathability either.
Friction Resistance
Nuyarn’s proven abrasion resistance comes in handy for more than just handling everyday wear and tear with aplomb.
The material has been deemed by the founding company as incredibly friction-resistant as well.
This makes Nuyarn hiking and backpacking-friendly. It’s even suitable for rucking, rock climbing, and other athletic endeavors that require wearing and carrying a backpack.
The backpack straps won’t rub so much on the Nuyarn fabric that they’ll create pilling, tearing, or other damage.
Thermal Retention and Regulation
Thermoregulation is an important concern whether sweating it out at the gym indoors or jogging on a below-freezing morning before the sun comes up.
The rate of thermal retention that Nuyarn offers is 35 percent better than core-spun or ring-spun merino wool.
With thermoregulation, air vapors will behave differently according to the outdoor temperature.
In cold conditions, those vapors are held closer to the body to retain warmth while in warmer conditions, the vapors make a swift exit for coolness.
Runners, who even set out in hot and humid conditions, are praising Nuyarn for its ability to finally let them wear merino wool in hot conditions.
Nuyarn remains lightweight yet still offers top-notch thermal regulation so that athletes who wear this fabric can dress comfortably and not have to sacrifice maneuverability.
Elasticity
Going back to our point from before, it’s integral that athleticwear boasts enough elasticity to stretch and move with the wearer.
The flattening that results from twisting traditional wool fibers leaves them lacking in the elasticity department, which you’ll recall from earlier. Nuyarn, by comparison, promises 85 percent more stretch.
Attributing to its merino wool base, the fabric does not become stretched out over time, or become unable to bounce back. Each time, it will be like wearing a Nuyarn garment for the first time.
Fast Drying and Moisture Wicking
Athletic apparel shouldn’t retain sweat, and Nuyarn is an optimal choice in this area.
While the liquid is still in its vapor stage and not yet a droplet, Nuyarn will start absorbing liquid.
That’s even faster than the rate of absorption of synthetics.
Both droplets and vapors are wicked away in record time as well, promising five times faster drying potential than most fabrics, even during, as the Nuyarn website puts it, “extreme performances.”
Is Nuyarn the Right Choice for Your Athletic Apparel Brand?
Nuyarn is a soft, sustainable, fast-drying fiber with excellent tensile strength and wind resistance. It’s for all these qualities and more that Nuyarn should be on the radar of any athletic apparel producer or distributor as well as companies striving to open an activewear brand!
There are several innovative and sustainable fiber options though; Seawool, Bamboo Charcoal, SeaCell, and Repreve are great sustainable solutions for activewear.
Of course, picking the right sustainable fibers starts with asking the right questions and getting to know your customer's needs. If you need help with any part of your activewear journey, let's talk!