1 min read

Looking back in order to look forward

The sports industry has pioneered the innovation in footwear for many decades now, and they have seemed to favor synthetic materials on their quest to conquer the elements. We too have been allured by the promises of breathable membranes and water repelling chemicals. However, once we started to dig into the history of how our ancestors thrived in these very same cold climates as us, using only the natural resources they had available, we thought we needed to investigate further.

One material that stood out as a greatly underestimated solution was wool. It would appear that the clothing industry has been better at utilizing this fabric for a natural way to handle both cold temperatures as well as moisture.

As we moved away from the fragile waterproof membranes to a more robust and more waterproof material, we had to sacrifice some breathability, but we found that wool was our knight in shining armor as it not only regulates temperature but also stores moisture in a way that keeps your feet feeling dry even moisture from within, which in turn also keeps your feet from getting cold.

Wool even has another secret up it's sleeve. Wool has a natural ability to defend against the bacteria that produces foot odor, so it is a natural solution to a very natural problem.

So to summarize, wool gives us the following:

1. Very effective insulation from cold temperatures

2. Moisture regulating

3. Odor combatting

Oh, and we almost forgot, since it's natural it also does not give us microplastics, and it is also compostable, so once we can find natural alternatives to our other materials we can maybe one day have a fully compostable shoe! Stay tuned for developments on that part!

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About the author

Emilie Østby WettestadHead of Content

My name is Emilie, and I am the Head of content at Kastel! I create content for social media and plan content in collaboration with ambassadors, UGC, and influencer profiles.