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You can’t wear natural materials for sports? That’s so 90s! Fibres like merino wool are made to support us on sweaty adventures. I learnt this the classic way by trying it out myself – just like Icebreaker founder Jeremy Moon did over 30 years ago. Here you can find out the history of the New Zealand company – and why 100% plastic-free fibres are still part of the company’s vision today.
I can still remember visiting my aunt in the USA in 2012 and going jogging with my little cousin. He was training for his next water polo game – and put on two huge rubbish bags for our run. He wanted to intensify his training and sweat more. It didn’t quite make sense to me at the time until I was invited on my first press trip about merino wool the following year.
I had already heard about merino wool as sportswear, but as a student, the shirts were simply too expensive for me at the time. And I couldn’t imagine what was so different about it compared to my polyester bike jerseys. So I spent two days hiking through the Stubai Alps wrapped up in merino and slipped back into my polyester shirt at home. I didn’t do that often, though.
Icebreaker’s merino blend is the perfect gear for long days out and rough trails. Photo: Icebreaker
On the bike tour, I felt like my cousin in his bin bags. The merino shirt was airy, light and comfortable to wear. My cheap polyester jersey, on the other hand, stuck to me, didn’t let a drop of sweat out and immediately turned it into an unpleasant smell. Wearing the same shirt twice on the tour? No way. Although polyester shirts have come a long way in recent years, I still stick with merino. Despite hiking for several days, my shirt hadn’t developed an odour – and I still felt fresh after my bike tours.
After all, that’s one of the key advantages of merino wool.
The benefits of merino wool at a glance
- Natural climate management:
Merino wool regulates body temperature almost automatically – it warms in the cold and cools in the heat. A real plus, especially in changeable weather in the mountains.
- breathable and moisture-absorbing:
While polyester layers often hold sweat to the body like a plastic shell, merino absorbs moisture without feeling wet – and transports it to the outside.
- smell-resistant:
Even after several days of use, merino wool hardly smells at all. The shirt I wore after two days of hiking was still wearable after several bike tours – without washing in between.
- silky soft and skin-friendly:
No comparison to the scratchy wool from my childhood – merino is fine, soft and feels like a favourite. Ideal for sensitive skin.
About the beginnings of Icebreaker
Jeremy Moon also experienced the benefits of merino wool on his own body in an almost similar way and founded Icebreaker as a result:
As is so often the case in life, the best things happen unplanned. It all started with Icebreaker in 1994, when I was 24 years old and my American girlfriend had just returned from a stay on a sheep farm on Pohenui Island in New Zealand.
The experiences and impressions she had gathered on this farm were deeply impressive to her and she persuaded me to meet the sheep farmer myself. A week later, when I actually had a lunch date with the farmer, he slipped me a woollen T-shirt: ‘What do you think?’ I tried it on immediately. It was completely different to what I had expected. It felt silky soft and was incredibly comfortable – very different from the scratchy, heavy wool I remembered from my childhood. It was knitted from ultra-fine merino wool, which came from the sheep on Pohenui Island. I left it on straight away for lunch and have never given it back since.
Jeremy Moon discovered the benefits of merino wool himself – and founded Icebreaker. Photo: Icebreaker
A few months earlier, I had been on a five-day kayak tour wearing polyester. It was the so-called “technical” outdoor material at the time. It looked kind of cool, but it felt unnatural and wore like plastic. By the second day, I smelled of sweat. When I heard that all synthetic outdoor materials – such as polyester or polypropylene – are made from plastic, I was shocked. It just seemed crazy to escape into nature wearing a plastic bag.
Over the next few days and weeks, the merino shirt and I became inseparable. I went running and biking in it, wore it under my shirt to work, to go out in the evening and I even slept in it. It was so wonderfully soft, never too warm and didn’t smell even after days of wearing it. I could also just throw it in the washing machine and, unlike other outdoor clothing, it was 100% natural. My American girlfriend went back to the USA, but the T-shirt had become my new passion.
That’s exactly what I was looking for: a great idea with global potential. Following my gut feeling, I quit my job in market research and moved my house to raise 25,000 New Zealand dollars – telling the bank that I needed money for a new kitchen. I used the money to buy the concept behind the prototype. It didn’t feel risky – in fact, I felt I had no other choice.
Today, Icebreaker stands worldwide for sustainable outdoor clothing with a deep connection to nature – noticeable in its history and products. Photo: Icebreaker
Our business purpose was clear and could be formulated as a simple question: How can we offer consumers a natural alternative to synthetic outdoor clothing?
Everyone who wore the product was amazed. I was convinced that the whole thing would be a success – as long as I didn’t mess anything up. It was a blind flight for me, so I got a lot of help. I developed a business plan, found eight investors through my friends’ parents who were willing to invest money upfront and formed an advisory board with entrepreneurial spirit and experience. We had a clear vision and so icebreaker was born in 1995. We were the little ones with the big idea: to connect people with nature while wearing a product made from nature. Before the year was out, we were led by 14 brave outdoor shops across New Zealand. They were the first to be willing to take on a young guy with a dream and a suitcase full of merino base layers.”
Today – 30 years later – Icebreaker stands for sustainable sports and outdoor clothing in many countries, reflecting the connection to nature in the company’s history as well as in the products themselves.
Natural alternative to synthetic outdoor clothing
Icebreaker has remained true to its ‘Move to natural’ vision to this day. The focus is no longer solely on merino wool: the collection is complemented by natural fibres such as Tencel, cotton and linen – with a clear goal in mind: 100 per cent plastic-free fabrics.
Icebreaker has achieved 97.56 per cent of this by the 2024 collection. Becoming completely plastic-free – and therefore free from fossil resources – remains at the top of the agenda. Icebreaker is also committed to transparency, animal welfare and environmental responsibility throughout its entire supply chain. The merino wool comes exclusively from certified mulesing-free farms that operate in a socially fair and increasingly regenerative manner. More insights can be found in Icebreaker’s latest Transparency Report.
Move to natural – in every respect.
Icebreaker – 30 years of real fibres for real performance: