As Outsiders, we pride ourselves on doing things a bit differently, and we know the people who like us and our products, understand and appreciate that. So we thought we’d take you behind the scenes and let you know how and why we’re a bit different to some of those other companies.
Some big companies make their gear for next to nothing, set their prices high, and make a stack of profit. Dropping their prices by 40, 50, 60 or even 70% means they’re still making money. Plenty of money. Because that’s all a lot of big companies care about. So you probably shouldn’t be overly impressed when they’re on sale, you should be asking why they sell for so much more the rest of the time!
Synthetic fabrics can be made super cheaply. Even so-called fancy fabrics with made up names that sound like they’re going to make you better at what you do, can cost a fraction of what our premium, natural, merino fabrics cost. Using premium yarns and fabrics means our fabric alone probably costs more than their entire garments. Much more. We’re happy with that, but it means we don’t have as much room to discount which is why we tend not to do it as often or by as much. Most of our garments also have things you probably wouldn't even appreciate - unless they weren't there. Like flat-lock seams. They're the smoother seams that sit more comfortably against your skin without digging in and can only be done on certain machines in certain places and yep, you guessed it, it costs more to make stuff that way. If all we cared about was money, we'd ditch those details and pocket the difference, but we do care, so we don't.
Shop our premium, natural Aussie merino outdoor gear right here
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Most of our competitors have been bought out by big business in recent times - not mentioning any names, but if you do the Google thing you might just find your other favourite brands are now owned by some big investment company who probably don't give a damn about the outdoors. Which makes us even more of an underdog and genuine industry Outsiders. We produce in smaller batches, and our production process is very hands on, compared to them. We are also super selective about where we produce our garments. No sweat shops, no unethical production, close personal relationships with everyone in every part of our production process. Because that’s the way we like it. Even if it makes things a bit more expensive and gives us less room to discount. We’re one big happy family.
At the risk of stating the obvious, every company has a cost to make their products, plus a profit margin to keep everyone employed and keep things going, to come up with a price we sell at. We keep our margins and prices as lean as possible every day. It might not seem like it, and we won’t bore you with the details, but when you use premium ‘ingredients’ like we do, costs are much higher, and we’ve already set what we think is the fairest price possible for every product. We don’t set them knowing we can afford to discount them later and sell them for less.
Shop quality outdoor clothing, made from premium 'ingredients'
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Obviously we try and make our clothes look good, but we have a smaller range than many companies, which means we’re not constantly looking to replace colours and styles. We make the essentials and keep our ranges simple. We’re more about performance than fashion. If we haven’t sold everything by the end of the season, we don’t really care, we just sell the same thing next season as well. Because it will still be just as natural, just as ethically made, just as comfortable, and perform just as well. We know some people love ‘fast fashion’ and want the latest colours and designs, but it’s just not how we roll, so we’re not constantly producing new things just for the sake of it.
Shop our smaller range, with awesome colours, and phenomenal performance
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We know we’re not for everyone, and that’s fine. But we know most of our customers care about the same things we do. Comfort. Performance. Natural products. Ethical production. That’s why we go the way we do, why we go on sale less, and why Outsiders who know, go with io.
Do things differently, go with io
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While Merino is an amazing natural fibre, not all Merino fabrics are created equal. At ioMerino, we make our own fabrics, using only the best quality fibres, and to very specific specifications that make the most of the natural benefits of Merino. All of them are 'Merino rich’. No cheap blends passed off as Merino. No cheaper scratchy fibres or synthetic substitutes to save money. No unethical production. And each fabric is made for a specific purpose. So if you see something with a small amount of elastase or nylon added, you can be sure it absolutely needs to be there to enhance the natural stretch and durability.
It took every bit of our 140 years of experience in the wool industry to perfect our fabrics, but we think you’ll agree the end result was more than worth the effort.
Ethically Made. Ethically Sourced. Perfectly Natural.
Lightweight 170gsm 96% Australian Merino Wool with 4% elastane for extra stretch and comfort. A MicroMerino® Fabric.
Lightweight 160gsm 83% Australian Merino Wool blended with 12% nylon blended for extra durability and 5% Elastane for stretch and comfort.
Midweight 265gsm 96% Australian Merino Wool with 4% elastane for extra stretch and comfort. A MicroMerino® Fabric.
Made from 45% ultra fine MERINO (Ultra Lightweight 150gsm), 45% natural TENCEL (made from sustainably grown wood fiber), and 10% nylon for extra durability.
Ultra Lightweight 150gsm 100% Australian Merino Wool. A MicroMerino® Fabric.
Midweight 280gsm 76% Australian Merino Wool, 15% Elastane and 9% Nylon for extra stretch and compression properties.
Ultra lightweight ribbed 155gsm 100% Australian Merino Wool. A MicroMerino® Fabric.
Outer Weight 280gsm Fleece 100% Australian Merino Wool. A MicroMerino® Fabric.
Midweight 260gsm 100% Australian Merino Wool. A MicroMerino® Fabric.
Midweight 260gsm waffle texture 100% Australian Merino Wool. A MicroMerino® Fabric.
Midweight 255gsm French Terry 100% Australian Merino Wool. A MicroMerino® Fabric.