The Wool Wire | July 10, 2024
Honoring the Churro sheep and its role in Diné tradition, celebrating a very cool Diné collaboration with with Ralph Lauren, and oohing and aahing at new PFAS-free firefighters' protective clothing crafted from wool
News snippets from the wool world
Hello, my wool friends!
I may be coming to you from Maine, but this week's newsletter begins in a very different place: the Four Corners region, which encompasses New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah. It's here that America's "first" sheep were introduced by Spanish Conquistadors more than 400 years ago. Those hardy Iberian newcomers are today's Navajo Churro sheep, a prized part of Navajo, or Diné, tradition.
Last Sunday, NPR's Weekend Edition picked up a piece from Southwest Colorado's KSJD about the Diné weaving and shepherding legacy in the Four Corners region. It's short but packed with a lot of history–and it offers a glimpse of how this weaving legacy is being passed to the next generation.
![](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/47cd630/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2016x1058+0+227/resize/1200x630!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9d%2F48%2F90f7b3b54f7897ba03e9704568fd%2Fclementschurro1.jpg)
A very cool collab
Still in the Four Corners region, we head into the Navajo Nation to meet seventh-generation Diné weaver and textile designer Naiomi Glasses. She was tapped by Polo Ralph Lauren to be their first Artist in Residence, a program intended to highlight heritage craft and the artisans who still practice it.
![](https://assets.teenvogue.com/photos/660583189f0fce609fea4a90/16:9/w_1280,c_limit/J000774_S1_023_9030_CMYK-1200x800-5b2df79.jpg)
As part of the collaboration, Polo Ralph Lauren made a two-part mini-docuseries in which Glasses shares her story—and it's absolutely gorgeous.
You can hop right over to part 1, where she shares more of her background and family weaving legacy...
And then be sure to watch part 2, where Glasses brings up her other passion: skateboarding!
Protecting our firefighters from more than flames
Summer means wildfire season in the Southwest. This brings me to the subject of firefighters and the gear that they wear.
For years, they've been campaigning against the use of PFAS, or Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, in their gear. And the more we learn about how potentially toxic this exposure is, the harder they campaign.
Now, there's good news. Armadillo Merino USA has released a new collection of PFAS-free firefighting gear that contains no heavy metals or known toxins. Instead, the shirts, pants, socks, balaclavas, and neck gaiters in its SABER collection are made from 100% Merino.
This innovative lineup, crafted entirely from Merino wool, marks a pivotal shift in the firefighting industry, aiming to mitigate health risks associated with hazardous substances.
![](https://www.envirotech-online.com/assets/file_store/pr_files/62438/thumbnails/images/600w_firefighters.jpg)
Wool keeps a cultural legacy and firefighters alive. Again, is there anything wool can't do?
And on that note, I'll let you go.
Thanks, as always, for your readership and your support.
Until next time,
Clara