When it comes to quality wool, our thoughts almost automatically turn to the Merino sheep, the world’s most renowned sheep breed for the fineness and softness of its fiber. But behind Merino yarn lie centuries of history, specific breeding characteristics and, for those like Lanaioli who believe in a short supply chain, a direct connection with the Italian landscape.
What is the Merino sheep?
The Merino sheep is a breed originating in Spain, selected over the centuries to produce particularly fine, soft and durable wool. The diameter of its fibers, much finer than that of ordinary wool, is what makes Merino wool garments so pleasant against the skin and suitable even for people who suffer from skin irritation. After spreading from the 18th century onward to France, England and later Australia and New Zealand, the Merino sheep is now bred throughout the world, but it remains especially associated with the large farms of the Southern Hemisphere.
What makes Merino wool unique
In addition to its softness, Merino sheep wool stands out for technical properties that are difficult to match:
Thermoregulation: it keeps the body warm in winter and cool in summer, thanks to the structure of the fibers, which creates microscopic air pockets.
Moisture management: it absorbs sweat without feeling wet, reducing the formation of odors.
Elasticity and durability: the fibers bend thousands of times without breaking, ensuring that garments retain their shape over time.
Natural sustainability: it is a renewable and biodegradable fiber, offering a practical alternative to synthetic fabrics.
The problem with long supply chains
Most Merino wool that reaches the European market travels thousands of kilometers, coming mainly from Australia, New Zealand and South America. This journey involves international transport, high CO₂ emissions and a gradual loss of traceability regarding the raw material. At the same time, in Italy, sheep farms focused on wool production have almost disappeared: for decades, farmers have been encouraged to produce milk and meat, which are more profitable, leaving wool as a costly waste product to dispose of.
Our commitment: Sopravissana sheep farming
It is precisely from this situation that Lanaioli’s concrete commitment was born: to restore an Italian Merino wool supply chain by recovering native Merino-crossed breeds at risk of extinction. Our own farm of Sopravissana sheep, a historic breed from central Italy created by crossing local Apennine sheep with Spanish Merino sheep, is at the heart of this project.
Through this farm, we are working to produce zero-kilometer Merino wool, rediscovering a breed that was at risk of disappearing and giving it a tangible productive role once again.
For us, choosing Sopravissana means much more than a production decision: it means ensuring fair compensation for Italian farmers, drastically reducing the transport required to source the raw material and offering our customers traceability that truly begins in the pasture, not at a container port on the other side of the world.
A different kind of Merino wool, because it is ours
Choosing a Lanaioli garment made with Merino wool from our Sopravissana farm means choosing a product that combines this fiber’s unique technical properties with an authentically Made in Italy short-supply-chain project. A commitment that continues to grow, garment after garment, to show that a different kind of fashion—more conscious and closer to the local area—is truly possible.
