Why Smalls is here

Emma. Tracey has known Emma, who founded Smalls, for many years — a fellow wool lover and an absolutely wonderful human being. There is nothing she does not know about merino wool. That is the whole reason this brand sits in the family store.

What merino actually does. It regulates temperature rather than simply trapping heat, so it keeps a child warm on a cold morning and stops them overheating indoors. It breathes, it moves moisture away from the skin, and it resists smell in a way cotton and synthetics do not — which is why a merino layer can be worn several days running.

17.5 micron, which is the number that matters. The prickle people remember from old wool vests comes from coarse fibre. At 17.5 micron this is ultrafine merino — fine enough to sit directly against the skin, and kind enough for sensitive skin.

The ski trip layer. This is Tracey's own go-to underlayer for skiing. Thin enough to sit under a salopette without bulk, warm enough that you stop thinking about the cold, and it does not turn clammy on the way back down. The 24 Hour Trouser comes in 190g lightweight and 280g heavyweight — lightweight for spring snow and everyday, heavyweight for a proper cold week.

Year round, not just winter. Tracey wears the merino camisoles all year. Fine merino is a summer fabric as much as a winter one — it is the weight of the knit that changes, not the wool.

Where it comes from. ZQ-certified New Zealand merino, fully traceable. Spun at an EMAS-certified mill in Biella, Italy, and made up at a family-run factory in Portugal. The sleep masks are padded with traceable wool rather than the recycled polyester most brands use.

Buy once, buy well — and then keep it. Smalls is the epitome of buying once and buying well. The only problem is that once you have worn it, you will not be willing to pass it on.

Two ways in: kids merino, sized 2-3 to 13-14 years, and women's merino, S to XL.

Smalls merino wool base layers at the bonnie mob — kids and women's thermals, ski underlayers, merino tanks, polo necks, leggings, snoods and sleep masks in ultrafine ZQ-certified merino.