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Press Release
Press Contact: Kimberly Ridings, sales
& marketing coordinator, (303) 604-2022 or kridings@earthnet.net
For Immediate Release
Micron 20' Merino Wool -- Nature's
Answer to High-Tech Fibers
With all the hype petroleum-based micro
fibers have received over the past decade, good old-fashioned
wool has fallen to the wayside. But now Emu Ridge has taken Mother
Nature's high-performance fiber into the third millenium with
Micron 20'.
"With wool, nature has done a fine
job of creating a fiber with superior insulating qualities and
wind-chill resistance, even when wet," claims Emu Ridge
CEO Andrew Raggatt. "After all, you never see sheep shivering."
From Greek fishermen to mountaineering pioneers, people who brave
the elements have long loved wool, but critics have called it
scratchy and difficult to wash.
Emu Ridge takes the best of wool's properties
and eliminates its downsides. Micron 20' can be found in Emu
Ridge's entire Fall '99 line of sheepskin boots and slippers,
footwear accessories, performance socks, and long underwear.
Because wool contains a natural, self-regulating thermostat,
these products will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer.
Only the finest wool in the world, Australian
Merino wool with fibers measuring in the 20-micron range, is
used for Emu Ridge's products. The incredibly fine fibers are
silky soft to the touch. The scratchy, Army surplus type of fabrics
most people think of as "wool" are made from fibers
in the 30-plus-micron range.
Micron 20' provides superior moisture
management, with even higher wicking and breathability qualities
than synthetics. The naturally hollow fibers transport moisture
away from the skin by capillary action. And the fibers will absorb
up to 35 percent of their own mass in water before becoming saturated
at the skin's surface. That's significantly more than synthetics
and five times more than cotton.
Micron 20' releases this moisture as
vapor, instead of trapping it, along with odor-causing bacteria,
between the fibers as in synthetics. (We all know how polypropelene
retains odors like so many fond memories, despite rigorous washing.)
-MORE-
Micron 20'
Merino Wool -- Nature's Answer to High-Tech Fibers, Page 2
Micron 20' sheepskin and wool fleece
are used in Emu Ridge's footwear and orthotic inner soles, while
the socks and long underwear are constructed of Micron 20' wool
fabrics. Unlike other care-intensive wool clothing, you can just
throw these wool products into the washing machine and drier
along with the rest of your laundry.
Emu Ridge was founded in 1994 by C.E.O.
Andrew Raggatt. Located in Geelong, the world-renown wool capital
of Australia, the company sources its raw materials locally and
controls all stages of manufacturing. This allows Emu Ridge to
offer products with more features and greater quality at lower
price points than its competitors. Emu Ridge products are sold
at outdoor specialty stores across the United States and distributed
by Rocky Mountain Sports in Boulder, Colo.
For more information on all of Emu
Ridge's products, contact Rocky Mountain Sports, Inc., at (888)
368-2668 or fax (303) 444-7526, or visit the company's Web-site
at http://www.emuridge.com.
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Product Line Overview - Emu Ridge
(Australian wool footwear and apparel)
Emu Ridge
Bringing Hi-Tech Australian
Wool Products to US
Humans have been borrowing the superior
insulating qualities of wool from sheep for thousands of years.
And while sheep have not evolved much over the millennia, man
has. Emu Ridge offers the most highly evolved and technically
innovative wool outdoor apparel and footwear known to man.
The world's finest wool, from the Australian
Merino sheep, is found in Geelong, right in Emu Ridge's backyard.
By sourcing its raw materials locally and controlling all stages
of manufacturing, Emu Ridge can pass significant savings along
to its consumers while offering products of the highest quality.
Founded in 1994 by C.E.O. Andrew Raggatt,
the company was named after Australia's national bird, the emu
(pronounced "ee-myou"), a large flightless relative
of the ostrich. "I was sitting on my porch one day drinking
a Foster's and looking at my neighbor's emus standing on
a ridge," Raggatt says, "and I thought, 'There's a
good name for a company.'" The initials "E.M.U."
can also stand for "even more than an ugly boot," he
points out, referring to the company's first product.
In the early 1980s at Australia's famous
Bells Beach, just miles away from Emu Ridge's headquarters, a
group of surfers invented "the original ugly sheepskin boot."
The no-nonsense boots never hit the fashion show ramps of Paris,
but they served their purpose - warming up cold feet after a
winter surf session. A long-time surfer and outdoorsman himself
with years of experience in sheepskin manufacturing and the sportswear
industry, Raggatt decided he could create
an even better "ugly boot." He made the boots
water-resistant, and added a high-performance out-sole for better
traction and a sheepskin orthotic inner sole to provide arch
support.
The next logical step was to convert
the comfort and performance of the "ugly boot" into
more traditional (and fashionable) footwear designs, from casual
hiking style boots to slippers and moccasins. New for Fall
1999, Emu Ridge is introducing a complete line of wool socks
and long underwear as well. Below is an overview of Emu Ridge's
innovative features and products.
Micron 20™ Australian Merino
Wool
All Emu Ridge's products begin
with the finest wool fibers available, measuring in the 20-micron
range (lower quality wool has fibers in the 30-plus range). These
fine fibers eliminate the itchiness often associated with wool,
creating luxuriously soft sheepskin, fleece, and fabrics. This
natural "micro-fiber" manages moisture with even higher
wicking and breathability characteristics than petroleum-based
synthetics. In fact, it will absorb up to 35 percent of its own
mass in moisture before becoming saturated next to the skin.
And because of its great insulating qualities, Micron 20™
will keep wearers warm in winter and cool in summer. Micron 20™
is found in Emu Ridge's entire product line.
SuperWASH™
All Emu Ridge wool fiber products
are treated with a new process called SuperWASH™ that stabilizes
wool fiber from shrinkage, allowing for easy machine washing
and tumble drying. Emu Ridge has developed a SuperWASH™
fleece lining material made of 100 percent Micron 20™ Merino
wool that outperforms acrylic fleece in both comfort and moisture
management. The wool fleece has many of the thermal qualities
of sheepskin, only at a more affordable price. SuperWASH™
fleece is used in the Wool Aire™ inner soles, Aussie Moccs,
Woolly Warmers, and Pak Boot Liners.
Wool Aire™ Inner Soles
Emu Ridge's Wool Aire™
orthotic inner soles support the feet in total comfort. A fusion
of dual density EVA and a bed of pure Australian Merino sheepskin
or SuperWASH™ fleece, the footbeds are removable and can
be used in a variety of footwear. They are found in Emu Ridge's
boots, Wool Aire™ slippers, and Winter Woolies fleece slippers.
The inner soles are also sold separately in three models: 100
percent sheepskin, SuperWASH™ wool fleece, and SuperWASH™
wool fleece with an odor-absorbent footbed.
Sheepskin Boots
Water and wind-chill resistance
are standard features in all of Emu Ridge's sheepskin boots.
The out-soles are designed to deliver maximum grip and insulation
for excellent performance in dry, wet, or icy conditions. The
Outback Hi and Outback Lo provide two styles of ultra-comfortable
and traditional Australian surfer boots for adults while the
Koala Cub lets kids get in on the game. Three designs in the
Walkabout range offer casual fashion for light outdoor use in
any weather.
Sheepskin Slippers and Moccasins
Great for lounging at home or
around a campfire, or even for a quick trip to the grocery store,
Emu Ridge's real Australian sheepskin slippers can go just about
anywhere. The eight diverse adult styles and one children's model
of
these lightweight slippers also cover just about any personal
fashion
preference. Three models contain the Wool Aire™ inner sole
for added support and laundering convenience. Two hand-sewn sheepskin
moccasins complete the line with an Australian twist on American
classic designs. All Emu Ridge's sheepskin slippers and moccasins
feature a rugged out-sole for indoor or outdoor use.
SuperWASH™ Slippers and Aussie
Moccs
A true bargain, the Winter Woolies
fleece slipper socks combine a cozy polyester fleece upper with
a SuperWASH™ Merino wool footbed and a suede out-sole. Three
styles are offered: the Booty (in men's, women's and youth's
sizes), the unisex A-Line, and the Women's Moc. In addition,
Emu Ridge offers an affordable alternative to its sheepskin footwear
with three styles of suede and leather moccasins, a suede bootie-style
slipper, and a polar fleece clog-style slipper. All are lined
with the SuperWASH™ Merino wool fleece and have a rugged
out-sole for indoor or outdoor use.
Footwear Accessories
The perfect answer to cold nights
at home, Emu Ridge's Woolly Warmers are a simple, yet luxurious,
bed or slipper sock constructed of machine-washable SuperWASH™
Merino wool fleece. The Emu Ridge Pak Boot Liner can turn your
Sorel or other pak boot into a warmer, drier, and exceptionally
comfortable boot. Designed to fit in most pak boots, the liners
are available in two models: 100 percent sheepskin or SuperWASH™
Merino wool fleece.
Underwear Downunder
Emu Ridge's Micron 20™
underwear is the most thermally efficient performance underwear
on the market. It wicks moisture away from the skin better than
synthetic underwear and feels silky soft because it is made from
the finest wool fibers available. And this wool underwear can
be easily machine washed and tumble dried without shrinking.
Emu Ridge offers a crew-neck T-shirt, half-zip mock turtle neck,
long-sleeve crew neck top, boxer shorts, and long johns in both
men's and women's styles.
Wool Aire™ Socks
Emu Ridge is confident its Wool
Aire™ socks will provide more comfort, moisture management,
and blister prevention than any synthetic sock. Constructed of
Micron 20™ wool terry knit, these socks are super soft and
easily machine washed and tumble dried. A range of 10 styles
cover outdoor activities from light walking to cross training,
hiking, mountaineering, backpacking, and snow sports. Each sock
is designed with comfort and support zones appropriate to the
intended activity.
Emu Ridge Products are sold at select
footwear and outdoor specialty stores across the United States.
For more information on all of Emu Ridge's products, contact
Rocky Mountain Sports, Inc., at (888) 368-2668 or fax (303) 444-7526,
or visit the company's Web-site at http://www.emuridge.com.
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