Description The merino knit outer surface is soft to the touch, lightweight and breathable.
The protectors can be easily slipped over different parts of the body, and the mesh structure ensures that the accessory fits snugly.
The hand accessory is a kind of glove with felted wool protection to cushion falls on the hands.
Knee and elbow pads have different woollen blocks integrated into the structure, strips for knee pads, and rectangles for elbow pads, so that these protections adapt best to body movements.
Knitted shorts protect the athlete from falls onto the buttocks.
The felted wool was integrated during the knitting process in the form of blocks. We decided to place this padding in such a way as to protect the parts of the buttocks that are most vulnerable to falls.
Innovation In France, 14,000 tonnes of wool are shorn every year, and most of it is thrown away or burnt.
This resource, cannot find a buyer because the size of the fibre and its roughness makes it difficult to use in the textile industry.
After meeting the least actor of the French wool industry, we asked ourselves how to transform the thickness of French wool fibres into an asset and use this fibre as a substitute of plastic foam.
By working on the multiple properties of this fibre we decided to integrate this wool in the sport field. And to use the thick fiber for its compression and resistance qualities to create body protections.
We conducted extensive textile research to find out how to integrate protective surfaces without altering the agility of the athlete. Our aim was to design accessories that are easy to layer over workout clothes and that don't restrict the athlete's movements.
On the knitting machines, we developed different ways of integrating this wool by combining it with merino wool, to obtain mesh structures that are supple, pleasant to the touch, thermoregulatory, elastic and that adapt to the body, all without waste thanks to the 3D knitting technique.
Product Detail These various wool protective accessories are a sustainable and textile innovation that aims to replace the plastic foam of current sports protectors with felted wool.
The 3D knitting technique has enabled the development of a drop-free product, with felted wool integrated into the knit. The knitting technique developed allows the felted wool to be integrated into the knit in blocks, resulting in a flexible yet rigid surface.
The qualities of two wools are used in the development of this product. The rough French wool is felted and then inserted into a softer merino knit that will be in contact with the skin. The combination of these two wools results in a 90% wool sports protection product.
Wool's high resistance and compression capacity, combined with its thermal properties, make it the perfect material for creating knee pads, elbow pads and other protective accessories. When practising sports involving falls, such as skating, boxing, rugby or even skateboarding, this natural material adapts to the body's movements and cushions the fall.
We conducted extensive textile research to find out how to integrate protective surfaces without altering the agility of the athlete.
Specification The various protective accessories are adaptable to different body sizes.
The accessories are white or black and all have an associated colour line. This simple range, inspired by the lines found on skating rinks or basketball courts, brings a playful side and includes these accessories in a sporting and non-gendered range.
Each accessory weighs between 400 and 500 grams.
The knitted fabric ensures that the protectors fit snugly around different parts of the body without restricting the movements of the athlete. The accessories have been tested in real-life conditions to ensure that they fit perfectly on the elbows or knees of the sportsperson.
