New to Merino Wool? The Best Merino Clothing to Start With

Merino wool is one of those natural fibres that makes much more sense once you’ve actually worn it. It feels surprisingly soft and lightweight, it doesn’t behave like the scratchy wool many of us remember from our childhood, and its real talent is helping you stay comfortable as temperatures change. Oh and less washing?! Yes please.

But where to start?! If you’re new to merino wool, here are three easy ways for adults or kids to try it: merino wool socks or a long-sleeve merino base layer.

Why wear merino  wool?

Before we get onto where to start, it helps to understand why merino has been such a favourite for everyday clothing and outdoor activities for generations.

Merino wool fibres can help manage both temperature and moisture, which means merino clothing can keep you warm without feeling really hot, bulky or clammy. That makes it particularly useful in the UK, where one day can involve a cold morning, a warm train, an overheated café, a windy school run and a damp walk home.

Rather than thinking of merino simply as “warm clothing”, I prefer to think of it as a really useful temperature-regulating, versatile layer. Which I realise does not roll off the tongue as easily!

But you definitely don't need to be climbing a mountain to appreciate it. I wear at least one item of merino in the UK every day from about mid-September through to June and usually here and there throughout summer too.

Start with merino wool socks

We don't often consider it, but we ask a lot from our socks: carrying our weight, rubbing in shoes, changing temperatures, lots of movement and, inevitably, a bit of sweat or getting wet. Good merino wool socks help keep your toes cosy while also helping to move moisture away from the skin, so your feet are less likely to feel hot and clammy. 

I also get quite chilly feet and I really feel the difference if I'm not in merino socks on a cooler day, definitely on a cold day. I wear (and love!) cotton socks for a few months every year but my merino socks far outnumber cotton socks for every day wear in my sock drawer!

The combination of warmth, breathability and moisture management is one of the reasons thicker merino wool socks are popular for walking and hiking, but you absolutely don't need to save them for the outdoors. Our range of merino wool dress socks for everyday wear are pretty game-changing! 

Wear them:

• on cooler and cold days;
• for a long walk;
• commuting, in changing temperatures;
• travelling, going from air con to warmer spaces;
• around the house, to save on your heating bill;
• or simply as your everyday winter socks (like I do!)

A pair of merino socks is also a relatively inexpensive way to find out whether you enjoy wearing merino before investing in bigger pieces. Take a look at our range here. 

A quick note on the blend situation from a textile science point of view -  socks are complex garments that usually need to be blended with some synthetic fibres to keep their shape, fit well and get years of use out of them. 

Adults: Try a merino wool base layer 

Merino wool actively works with your body to thermoregulate then crucially, doesn't leave you feeling clammy, which is helpful every day, not just up a mountain. So a long-sleeve tee is a great way to start wearing merino wool. Our base layers can be found here.

Layering cotton overtop merino base layers keeps you in natural fibres and lets you continue to wear your favourite shirts, sweatshirts or tops throughout the colder months - this is my favourite way to use merino wool base layers every day. I have one on around the house under a cotton long-sleeve tee or sweatshirt. When I head out, I'll layer up with a smarter shirt or blazer and it extends the amount of time I can head out without a bulky (and sometimes annoying) coat.

Once you start layering with a merino long-sleeve tee, the options are endless.

You can put a simple merino long-sleeved top underneath a casual shirt and it becomes an incredibly useful everyday layer. You get that casual-smart, slightly tech-bro, I could theoretically be working from a coffee shop in Copenhagen look, except you're also genuinely comfortable and you probably don't need to wash it like you would a t-shirt.

And then, out of hours, that exact same merino top can come with you:

• walking the dog;
• hiking or cycling;
• camping;
• travelling;
• skiing;
• or standing on the side of a freezing football pitch far too early on a weekend morning!

One piece of clothing can move very easily between everyday wear and outdoor activities. That versatility is one of the reasons merino wool makes such a good wardrobe staple. But it definitely doesn't limit it's glory to outdoors as it's often associated.

Babies: Merino wool beanie and booties

We hear all the time that the most useful baby merino item is a 100% merino wool beanie. They're lightweight, don't need washing often and give parents peace of mind that simply can not be achieved with cotton or synthetic fibre hats. Our baby range is here.

What's all the fuss about? Isn't a baby hat, a a baby hat? Nope. Baby bodies are developing so many things in the first year, including the ability to thermoregulate efficiently. This means they use a lot more energy than adults do to warm or cool themselves to a healthy body temperature. Something that we take for granted as adults is relatively hard work for babies.

It's no secret that humans lose heat out of our extremities, particularly our head and feet. So we always suggest starting with a 100% merino wool baby beanie and bootie combo and we also have starter kits that include these incredibly useful pieces. 

Children: Try a merino long-sleeve tee

Kids can be hard to dress and getting them to layer up and stay warm is an age-old parenting challenge! Merino wool is here to help. Lightweight but warm, merino wool long-sleeve tees keep kids cosy and comfortable and the washing pile low as they don't need washing after every wear. Our kids collection of merino wool clothing is here.

Camping, skiing or outdoors, merino wool can be a literal lifesaver for kids! And every day, it's just great to only have to wrangle on one, lightweight layer that you don't need to worry too much about adding to when they run outside without a jumper. 

Forrest school has been another place customers have loved their merino wool layers - notoriously chilly and needing warm, lightweight layers, we know kids have more fun in merino.

Under school uniform, merino wool is the perfect answer for those cold commutes but toasty hot classrooms too. I know my son is more warm and comfortable when he has his merino on, it's one less thing to worry about!

Ladies: Try a merino wool vest

There are two types of women: people who never think about vests (singlets or tanks depending on where you are in the world!) and people who swear by them. If you're in the second camp, a women's merino wool vest could be a brilliant introduction to merino. I know you have your favourite already and I'm not for a second suggesting you replace the top vest spot with a merino wool one... yet. I think it's worth a try as an alternative though, to add to your vest collection! 

Fine merino wool adds warmth without bulk, so a vest can sit comfortably underneath a shirt, jumper, jacket or dress. It's particularly useful on those cooler days when you don't necessarily want to change your whole outfit, you just want to be confident you won't get cold. You might use a thermal vest already, merino wool is the natural version of this without the clamminess, smell and having to wash it every time. It should last a lot longer too because the synthetic fibres in standard thermal underwear deteriorate quite significantly over time - I remember our polypropylene thermals as kids discolouring and going all crispy!

I also have a completely unscientific yes merino theory: I suspect celebrities wear considerably more merino wool than they tell us about. You know those red-carpet photographs where everyone else is wrapped in coats and somebody is standing perfectly happily in an outfit containing approximately twelve square centimetres of fabric? There has to be some clever layering happening somewhere. A merino wool vest is the perfect solution. It's definitely one I've used to wear more glamourous outfits in colder weather without completely freezing!!

I have absolutely no evidence for this theory that celebrities use merino vests as a very secret weapon under not very much, obviously. But for the rest of us, a fine merino vest is a very practical way of wearing much lighter tops, dresses and jackets for longer without adding thick, bulky layers.

The yes merino ladies range, including vests and camisoles, is here.

Is merino wool good for everyday wear?

Absolutely. One of the biggest misconceptions about merino is that it belongs exclusively in outdoor clothing. It really doesn't.

Merino works beautifully alongside the clothes you already own. You don't need a dedicated "merino wardrobe" and you certainly don't need to throw away perfectly good clothing just because it isn't wool.

A pair of socks here. A merino vest there. One genuinely useful merino base layer.

Wear them with your jeans, cotton shirts, favourite jumpers and the coat you already own.

Is merino wool itchy?

This is one of the questions people ask me most often. If your memory of wool involves an itchy school jumper, merino can be a bit of a surprise.

Merino wool fibres are much finer than many traditional wool fibres, which is why good-quality merino clothing can feel soft enough to wear directly against the skin.

If you're unsure, socks are an easy ways to test it for yourself.

Why merino works so well for layering

The real magic of merino isn't simply that it's warm. Lots of fabrics can keep you warm - what makes merino particularly useful is its ability to naturally provide warmth without lots of bulk, while also helping manage moisture when your body warms up.

That's why you'll see merino used for everything from everyday underwear and tops to hiking base layers and ski clothing. For UK weather, that makes a lot of sense. We're rarely dressing for one temperature all day.

We're dressing for cold pavements, warm cars, chilly offices, heated shops, windy parks and unpredictable weather — sometimes within the space of a couple of hours.

A lightweight merino layer can make those changes much easier to manage.

What's the best merino clothing for beginners?

If you're buying merino wool for the first time, I'd keep it very simple:

Start with merino socks if you want the easiest introduction.

Choose a long-sleeved merino base layer if you want a versatile, naturally warm layer.

Try a merino vest if you're already somebody who likes a layer underneath your clothes.

Then give it a go in a few different ways and see how often you reach for it. Because that is probably the best test of whether any piece of clothing deserves a place in your wardrobe.

Merino isn't a gimmick or a newly invented technical fabric. It's an exceptionally fine natural wool fibre that people have been turning into useful clothing for a very long time. 

Start with one useful piece and see what you think.

You may be surprised how quickly it becomes the layer you don't want to be without!