NZ Wool vs Argentinian Wool - Our Rugs

We are often asked, "what is the difference between NZ wool and Argentinian wool when it comes to rugs?"

The use of both New Zealand and Argentinian yarn in our rugs isn’t just to sound pleasant to the ears, it also serves an important purpose when it comes to durability.

Animals from colder climates such as New Zealand and Argentina produce higher amounts of lanolin.

What is lanolin you ask & why is it important?

Lanolin is a wax-like oil that is derived from the glands then makes its way into the wool of the sheep - it acts as a type of waterproof insulation from the cold that enables the wool to grow longer and stronger which is very important when weaving the yarn together. If we were to use sheep from warmer climates their wool would be far shorter and coarser resulting in shedding during the spinning process and consequently shedding in rug.

So.... now that you understand the importance of animals from cold climates, you grasp the impact their precious lanolin has on your rug. From the shearing of the sheep to laying the rug down in your home the end product is a naturally stain-resistant rug that can negotiate the toughest of spills AND the maximum amount of foot traffic (without shedding).

Essentially NZ wool is the highest quality wool and we use the highest of quality NZ Wool (as NZ wool also varies in quality).  

The natural colour of NZ wool is very consistent in colour and therefore when they dye NZ wool the outcome is that the rug is very solid in colour with no variation.  This works really well for some of our rug designs. 

Argentinian Wool has a lot of variation in the natural colour of the wool.  

So with the Sencillo design we try and achieve that organic variation in colour both by using Argentinean wool and also by putting it through an Abrash washing process which creates that variation in tone throughout the rug. 

In Summary NZ is the highest grade of wool (the colder the climate the better the quality of the wool) but also consistent in colour. 

Argentinian wool is also an excellent quality of wool but with more variation in the natural colour which once dyed creates different shades and tones throughout the wool to make it appear more organic.

 Let’s all say it together; THAAANK YOU SHEEP