The Wool Wire | March 20, 2026
Levi Strauss launches program to teach mending in schools, plus Glerups slippers, thrifting for wool rugs, thermoregulating our tushies, and a wooly whodunnit.
News snippets from the wool world
Hello, my friends,
Today marks a seasonal and astronomical turning point in the year. The Northern Hemisphere will now slip towards spring and the Southern Hemisphere towards autumn. Welcome, equinox!
While I'd like to call it a turning point for our closets, too, the woolens are still very much in action here in Maine. Slippers are a year-round wardrobe essential. Last month I mentioned Kyrgies wool slippers and would be remiss if I didn't follow up with a mention of the equally popular Glerups.
If the Danish brand is new to you, the Vancouver Sun ran a short Q&A with company partner Allan Timm.
Aleesha Harris
Bonus points to the customer who described them as "like ice cream for your feet."
Mending Ways
My mending pile is growing, which can be taken as a sign of the kind of winter we've been having. Mending is not a skill that's been widely taught to younger generations of clothing wearers, which is why I perked up at this first piece of news.
Last fall, Levi Strauss & Co. enlisted Burke Research to find out how much Gen Z in the U.S. did know about garment repair. They queried a representative sampling of just 601 U.S. adults, but the results were telling.
According to the survey results:
41% of Gen Z report having no basic repair knowledge, such as fixing a tear or sewing a button, which is nearly double the rate of older generations. At the same time, 35% of young people say they would keep their clothes longer if they knew how to fix them.
And so Levi Strauss decided to do something about it. In January, they announced the Levi's Wear Longer Project.
Developed in partnership with global edtech leader Discovery Education and aligned with national K-12 education standards, the program teaches young people hands-on life skills such as how to repair and customize their clothes, from sewing a button to patching a hole or tailoring a hem.
Jangoulun Singsit
And for anyone interested in getting involved, here's a helpful resource guide.
Giving wool rugs a second look
One thing Gen Z is very skilled at is shopping the secondhand markets, aka thrifting. But it's not just a Gen Z thing. According to the National Association of Retail and Thrift Shops, the U.S. secondhand market was valued at around $56 billion in 2025—and the trend shows a similar uptick around the world.
It warmed my heart to see wool rugs getting some love from the secondhand crowd. House Digest offered helpful tips on why and how to search for vintage wool rugs, and how to care for them when you get them home.
Sam Manzella
Preparing for the hot seat
While the Southern Hemisphere prepared to slip into autumn, much of the Northern Hemisphere has been breaking heat records already. That said, may I remind you of another place where wool can be handy in the winter as well as the summer? As a helpful thermoregulator for your car seats.
ABNewswire
When wool goes missing
And finally, for those of you who enjoy a good whodunnit and hadn't seen this yet, I've been writing a fun serial mystery over at Modern Daily Knitting.
Told in nine chapters, it features the internationally renowned textile sleuth Miss Clarice Clarple, who's been called in to figure out why someone is stealing wool yarn and replacing it with polyester.
We're on Chapter 7, which begins with links to all the previous chapters.
| By Clara Parkes
If you prefer to listen, I've recorded all the chapters and you'll find the YouTube playlist here.
It's been tremendous fun, and you might enjoy it.
On that note, I'll let you go.
Thanks, as always, for your readership and your support.
Until next time, stay well and look out for each other,
Clara
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