Icebreaker TouchLab In Vancouver

Made from nature’s perfect fibre, Icebreaker wool clothing is so versatile and long-wearing that you don’t need to buy a lot.

German designer Dieter Rams, former head designer at Braun, is known not only for the stylish yet practical appliances he conceived but also for his 10 principles of good design (Good design is innovative, makes a product useful, is aesthetic, makes a product understandable, is unobtrusive, is honest, is long-lasting, is thorough down to the last detail, is environmentally friendly and is as little design as possible).

All of these apply toNew Zealand Icebreaker clothing, now available at the company’s first Vancouver TouchLab store, which opened last week. The garments are made of an ingenious merino wool fabric that is easy care, lightweight and quick drying like synthetics but also breathable, odour resistant and biodegradable. Unlike cotton, it does not hold moisture.

This Is Not Your Grandma’s Wool

This is not your grandma’s wool. It doesn’t itch. It is soft, silky and can be machine washed. Icebreaker uses it for items ranging from shirts and dresses to underwear, athletic wear and outerwear. The New Zealand Olympics team wore Icebreaker base layers when competing at the 2010 Games.

The company conforms to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 standards governing environmental management. It contracts with farmers to sell their best wool in return for a guaranteed price. Sheep must be well cared for; all workers, from farmers to cleaners to cutters, receive a fair wage; and every garment bears a Baacode so buyers can trace the wool to the original farm.

The clothes are stylish yet classic, and many are versatile enough to wear every day—and can be washed less frequently due to wool’s odour resistance, making them ideal for travel. I particularly like the Club polo shirt with its curved bottom edge to wear tucked in or hanging out ($99.99), the side-slit Zen skirt ($74.99) and the Bliss hoodie ($139.99). There’s even a sundress, the Pisa racerback ($109.99).

It’s not cheap, but as Icebreaker saleperson and true believer Claire Crimp points out, the quality is so good that you don’t need as many pieces. Even after daily wearing, clothes keep their colour and look good for years. “I’m a very frugal buyer,” she says. “I will spend $150 on this but not everything.”

Or as Dieter Rams has said, “Less, but better.” —Felicity Stone

Icebreaker TouchLab, 2089 West 4th Avenue, www.icebreaker.com

Photo: courtesy Icebreaker