Our Story

We’re honest enough to admit we know a lot of people haven’t heard of ioMerino. Yet. So we figured we’d better introduce ourselves quickly so you know we’re not just some rookie company making Merino garments to pass the time. We won’t bore you with 140 years of history or tell you all about how ioMerino is actually a part of one of Australia’s most famous wool families - even though that part is completely true and relevant. But we kind of have to at least mention the whole ‘six generations of heritage’ thing because it proves we know exactly what we’re doing when it comes to making amazingly warm and comfortable Merino wool clothes for you to wear.
While some brands may be more well known than us, it doesn’t mean they know more about wool or making the best quality Merino wool garments than we do. In fact, if we were on one of those game shows and there was a bunch of really tricky questions about wool, we’d win for sure. Well, if it was one of our delivery guys who had to answer the questions it might be close, but you know, if it was David Michell who started ioMerino or one of his family members, we’d win hands down.

We've been working with wool since not long after sheep were invented.

The Michell family have been involved in just about every aspect of the wool industry since not long after sheep were invented. They’ve bought it, cleaned it, spun it, knitted it... you name it, the Michell family have done it. We’re not a business who randomly decided to try and make Merino clothing because the hamburger industry was too competitive, or because we couldn’t afford to start an airline. Wool’s our thing. We know it, we love it, and we’re really, really good at it. After six generations, it’s in our genes. And if we made jeans, it would probably be in them too.

Most of the best businesses start with a grumpy founder. And a great idea.

David Michell didn’t just start ioMerino on a whim, he started it because he was sick and tired of wearing poor quality merino gear. David’s a pretty easy going guy, but he knew how good Merino wool could be and couldn’t believe there was no-one out there making something that made the best of it’s natural qualities. What’s the point of using Merino if you short-cut other parts of the production process, right? So he set about creating Merino gear he wasn’t just happy to sell, but happy to wear himself. It took a while, (and by ‘a while’ we mean years!), but eventually, he and his team came up with the unique Merino fabrics we use today that met his exacting standards for performance and comfort. Fabrics so good, they leave regular Merino fabrics out in the cold.

Our mission is to knock your socks off.

But that’s enough about where we came from, let’s talk about where we’re going. Our mission is to make the warmest, most comfortable Merino gear imaginable. To be the brand you choose when you’re in the know. The brand you want if you like to try new things, different things, better things. What’s more, we don’t just want you to buy our products, we want you to love them. And we’re prepared to do whatever we have to, to make sure that happens. By developing our own fabrics that are better than anything else out there. By making an absolute must-have range of clothes that will get you through your adventures. And by giving you real-person customer service to make sure you’re happy every step, (or paddle or ski or whatever it is you’re doing), of the way.