Sports update - Driza-Bone

Driza-Bone

For more than a century Driza-Bone has protected Australians from the elements. Throughout the same era, Australian-grown fine Merino wool provided the raw material to keep them warm and dry.

In Partnership with AWI

Now, a remarkable partnership has formed between these two Australian greats. Using the best quality Australian Merino, Driza-Bone has produced a world class range of lifestyle clothes to meet the demands of today’s active society.

Made from 100 percent Australian Merino wool, the high performing range of clothes are fashion conscious and feel soft as silk next to the skin. Comfortable and machine washable, they are specially designed to keep the wearer warm and dry from the inside out.

Unlike clothing made from other fibres, the Merino wool range breathes on skin, has natural stretch and amazing moisture-absorbing qualities.

The Driza-bone Merino range has been developed in collaboration with Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), the world’s leading wool technology and innovation organisation.

Testing the new Driza-Bone

Suited to high-performance athletes or fashion conscious city-goers, the Driza-Bone range has already been tested in some of the world’s most severe sporting conditions.

The Sydney to Hobart 2006 champion crew of Wild Oats XI sailed around the world wearing Driza-Bone Merino.

Rick Goodrich, Kings Cup winning rower and two times sailor in the America’s Cup, led the charge to get the Driza-Bone gear aboard Wild Oats XI.

“The clothing could not have performed better,” said Rick of this year’s winning trip from Sydney to Hobart. “It helped keep the crew warm and comfortable throughout the 43-hour race”.

The rest was history. Wild Oats sailed to victory in the line honours, the handicap victory and set a new course record.

Veteran Australian yachtsman Iain Murray was also impressed with the outstanding performance of the new Driza-Bone range. “It looks like the latest Driza-Bone Merino is the ‘new age’ in technical wear. Its comfort and performance in all conditions has impressed a lot of serious yachties.”

The Original Driza-Bone

The much loved and valued original Driza-Bone coat began life on board sailing ships plying their trade along the so-called Roaring Forties. To combat the harsh winds at these latitudes, hard wearing and gale proof wet weather gear was essential.

The original Driza-Bone waterproof coat was fashioned out of recycled sails over 100 years ago. It’s no surprise that a company who first led the charge to protect Australians from the elements so long ago is still looking for innovative ways to keep us dry.

Merino – The Obvious Choice

For the team at Driza-Bone, Merino wool was an obvious choice for its range of lifestyle clothing. Merino has technical qualities that make it perfect for high-performance garments – being breathable, comfortable, easy-care and with natural stretch.

Particularly suited to high-performance activity because of its amazing capacity to absorb moisture away from the body, Merino keeps the wearer warm or cool, depending on the conditions.

Merino can absorb an outstanding 35 percent of its own weight in moisture, which helps rid the skin of uncomfortable sweat. It also has a natural odour resistance and water repellence.

Unlike synthetics, Merino is an active fibre, reacting to changes in your body’s temperature to keep you warm when you’re cold or cool when you’re hot. That means it’s perfect for the variable conditions encountered in ocean racing and many other sports. Whether sailing or hiking, if the fabric does get wet it will still keep you warm.

Importantly, Merino wool has a natural sun protection of UPF50+, a must in the harsh outdoor conditions of Australia.

Driza-Bone Merino

The Driza-bone Merino range was developed using the highest-quality raw materials. The average of the fleeces is 17.7 micron, using only the best long fleece wool. Processing was done by leading European manufacturers, leading to superbly finished fabric and garments and all fabric are rated to Marks and Spencer standards.

Read about the previous sports update ISPO Germany January 2006 or download the Driza-Bone fact sheet in PDF (1.67 MB).

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