About Manumit Apparel

Manumit Apparel clothing is designed and printed in Devon, England. Our decision to create what are, in our mind the best merino wool t-shirts on the market, was not based on fashion or fads. We have created the t-shirts we wanted. T-shirts which don’t sacrifice function for fashion but equally, don’t look out of place in the pub.

Our wool is sourced by Wool Mark and Responsible Wool Standard certified manufacturers who are also WRAP, Sears and BSCI accredited.

It started with a google search for merino wool t-shirts.

Having spent many, many hours out in the elements, I’m a firm believer in the adage ‘there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing’.

Merino wool has been used as the foundation layer of choice for alpine mountaineers and desert explorers alike for as long as it’s been available (to find out why, check out our ‘Why Merino Wool’ section). It’s been tried and tested in the most extreme environments, and despite quantum leaps in fabric technology, it remains unparalleled in form and function. As a result, Merino Wool clothing has been a part of my kit for many years.

The reason for my Google search was frustration. Merino wool is not cheap. It’s a premium product, which, if ethically sourced and of high quality, costs a significant amount to produce. I was in the market for a merino wool top to wear over the coming winter but didn’t want to fork out a significant amount of money on clothes I would wear on the Moor but which would look pretty out of place in the pub or on the school run. The problem was, they didn’t seem to exist! My favourite brands would sell ranges of cotton t-shirts with graphics I loved OR technical base layers
which were all about ‘function’ but never seemed to combine the two.

 

The beauty of merino wool is in the fibres. There’s no need for the clothes made from it to scream ‘base layer’ in their appearance. Flat lock seams for example, have their place, but they were developed to prevent seam chafing in clothing made from harsher fibres. They’ve since been adopted as a byword for ‘technical outdoor clothing’ across the board. Merino fibres are so soft that when suitable micron thickness for a base layer is used there should be no fear of chafing and therefore no need for flatlock seams, making them a dubious fashion statement not a functional requirement. I’m aware that this is personal preference and, if you disagree with me then you’re in luck, there’s plenty of options out there for you to choose from!

And so, to cut a long story short, 18 months later I find myself here. The surprised founder of a merino wool t-shirt company aimed at creating the t-shirts I wanted but couldn’t find. We want you to put on our t-shirts, take them outside and put them to the test. Get them sweaty and dirty, then find your way back with new stories to tell.

We hope you like them.