Whether you’re traveling to a tropical climate or living in a place with sweltering summer heat, you want to be prepared with lightweight, breathable clothing that won’t have you drenched in sweat or stuck inside sitting under the air conditioner.

Enter Merino Wool and Tencel® - both smart and sustainable solutions to all-climate dressing. 

Merino wool for summer? Absolutely! Merino wool - known to keep you warm in the winter due to its temperature-regulating properties, is also designed to keep you cool in the summer. Additionally, it’s breathable, antimicrobial, biodegradable, and odor resistant.

And what about Tencel? Tencel - also a natural fiber - is produced from sustainable wood sources from sustainably managed forests. One of the amazing qualities of Tencel (amongst many amazing qualities), is that it feels light against your skin. Tencel features an enhanced breathability and cool and dry feel, so it is ideal to wear no matter what climate you are in.

What About Cotton?

Don’t get us wrong - we love organic cotton for summer. Cotton is a versatile fabric and a summer classic. But there are many downsides of cotton - which makes it a secondary choice for us next to merino wool and Tencel.

• Conventional cotton covers just 2.5% of the planet’s total agricultural area, but it uses 7% of all pesticides and 16% of all insecticides.
• Conventionally grown cotton produces 220 million metric tons of carbon dioxide every year. 
• Organic cotton - which is our choice if you are going to use cotton - uses more water to produce than conventional cotton. On a positive note however, research shows it is 46 percent less harmful to global warming overall.

Staying Cool When The Temperatures Rise

So now we are clear on which fibers to choose to keep cool this summer, but what type of clothing is best?

If you are in the desert where the sunlight is so intense, coverage from the sun is so important. But because you still want to keep cool, that's when breathable, light, and temperature-regulating clothing is key.

Combining merino wool and tencel into one lightweight garment not only incorporates the best of both worlds - a sustainable garment that is breathable, lightweight, moisture-wicking, temperature-regulating AND UV resistant-  but it also makes for a garment that wears beautifully due to Tencel’s draping qualities.

Summer lovin'

So no matter what climate you’re in, when the temperatures rise, opt for lightweight, high-performance natural fabrics to keep you dry, cool, and feeling your best despite the heat.