Wearing an elegant suit in Qatar can be very challenging due to the extremely high temperatures in the desert. However, the Uruguay National Soccer Team was able to pull it off by wearing super cool wool suits made from Merino wool produced by farmers in Uruguay. Merino wool is known for its thermal insulation properties, allowing this fine fabric to be worn in both winter and summer. Merino wool allowed the members of the Uruguayan delegation to stay fresh and elegant in the extreme weather while representing their country at the World Cup.
The use of Merino wool suits in Qatar was an attempt to showcase the versatility of the fiber. Each player and member of the Uruguay National Soccer Team delegation wore a custom-made suit designed by Studio Muto, a renowned menswear apparel brand that has designed men’s tailored suits for over 50 years. They were manufactured from Merino wool that was produced, washed, and combed in Uruguay, then transported to Italy to be woven at one of the best Italian textile manufacturers.
The President of the National Soccer Association said, “We wanted to add our 2 cents so that the National Team was an ambassador of Uruguay to the world. Through this innovative initiative, our delegation in Qatar displays the effort, the search for excellence of our country, from workers to producers, industry, designers, and the added value of Uruguayan agricultural production.”
Members of the Uruguayan national soccer team arriving in the heat of Qatar at the World Cup
Sky Blue Wool in Qatar Features Uruguay’s Merino Wool Industry
Uruguay XII in collaboration with the Uruguayan National team joined in this project called “Sky Blue Wool in Qatar” which turns the national soccer team players into ambassadors of one of Uruguay’s flagship traditional industries.
Members of the Uruguayan National Soccer Team wearing Merino Wool Suits.
The Uruguayan wool business is known for producing high-quality wool that is valued internationally for its provenance and a production method that meticulously considers genetics, breeding, shearing, and conditioning. Uruguay takes great pride in its highly skilled workforce and long history in this industry, which makes it a global leader in the production of Merino wool.
The suits are made of a superfine, under-18 micron Merino wool making it possible to create lightweight Super 130s fabrics, with 260 grams per meter, that have a soft feel on the skin, which responds comfortably to Qatar’s harsh climate conditions while following global fashion trends. The quality of a suit using this superfine wool can cost up to $3000 in the apparel market.
Merino wool is just one of the fibers that Uruguay produces. Uruguay is a wool-producing country with a long history where tradition and innovation are combined. It is one of the four textile poles that exist in the world, the main one at a regional level and one of the main suppliers of wool at a global level. Wool and fabric exports occupy 12th place in the country’s export matrix of goods.
The “Sky Blue Wool in Qatar” initiative is a joint effort by the Uruguayan Wool Secretariat (SUL), the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INIA), the Regional Innovation Consortium for Ultrafine Wool of Uruguay (CRILU), the Uruguayan wool processing industry represented in the Chamber of Commerce, the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries (MGAP), the Sports Secretariat and the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), with the support of Uruguay XXI, an agency that works to promote the Uruguay Wools brand in the world
Fashion Mingle Interview with Luis Muto – Studio Muto’s Design Master
Studio Muto is a company dedicated to the design and creation of men’s clothing for over 50 years. Their Italian heritage influences the way they tailor their garments. “Merino is a very noble wool that with the technological textile processes of the advanced industry make an excellent fabric.” – Luis Muto
Studio Muto clients are anyone who likes to dress elegantly in both quality of craftsmanship and in fabrics. Studio Muto dresses a wide range of clients, from young men, grooms, politicians, executives, athletes, actors, and actresses with clients from Argentina, Chile, Brasil, Paraguay, and around the globe.
FM: What has been the highlight of this experience for you as a designer and as a brand?
Muto: It is quite a challenge to dress the Uruguayan team, the delegation is made up of players, coaching staff, and leaders, and as such, there are different design elements for each of the groups. The most outstanding thing is undoubtedly the responsibility to give an image to the Uruguayan National team, which is like giving an image to a country!
As a brand, the diffusion and prestige of designing for the entire delegation elevates us and lets us enter into a whole new, more casual, and sporty sector.
FM: What’s next for Studio Muto?
Muto: We are giving a new push to our women’s tailoring lines both in design and promotion. We have expansion plans to Argentina, a very loyal client. We will continue to develop new sports lines for men with a more casual image, expanding our traditional sartorial style.
Uruguay and Sustainable Fashion
The work that Uruguay XXI does is aligned with the country’s vision of sustainable industry development, which includes initiatives for the Uruguayan fashion industry.“Sky Blue Wool in Qatar” campaign showcases Uruguayan wool as a natural, renewable, recyclable product, which is produced in the country in a sustainable way, using certified processes and products, friendly to the environment and the welfare of animals.
This initiative is part of a series of joint activities that the country aspires to develop with athletes with the goal of sharing the values that distinguish Uruguay and wool as one of its premium products.
Uruguay XXI also supports the “Universo Mola Fashion Week” event every year, which is part of an international movement of Latin American sustainable fashion in which Uruguayan and Latin American brands exhibit their sustainable collections. The fashion week event promotes networking, development, and recognition of designers, entrepreneurs, and producers in the value chain of the textile and fashion industry with the goal of creating alternatives for sustainable development, especially for young people and producer communities
About Uruguay XXI
From the Institute for the Promotion of Investments, Exports and Country Image, Uruguay XXI, promotes the export culture by accompanying and advising companies through their internationalization process. Uruguay XXI provides them with information on markets of interest, the costs associated with exporting, and other important steps. Above all, they contribute to the development of a strategy to reach international markets and seek to boost their competitiveness through education and training as well as professionalization activities.
Another of their objectives is the promotion of the Uruguayan exportable offer in the world. To achieve this they participate in international trade shows. In recent years, efforts have focused on New York and this year on Colombia. They also develop digital tools to bring Uruguayan products closer to potential international buyers, such as the Catalog for international buyers that can be found on the Uruguay XXI website.
Uruguay XXI plans promotional events for international celebrities and buyers known as “WOOL TOURS”. These tours are very attractive because they showcase the entire wool production system, from the field, and the combers to the final product.
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