Unbound Merino Holiday Gift Giving Guide: Give the Gift of Merino Clothing

‘Tis the season once again for holiday shopping. It’s a season of joy, giving and… immense mental and physical effort on the part of the gift-giver.

If you’re anything like us, you might find that ticking names off a gift list can be challenging. It’s like an elaborate guessing game that you play with your wallet. You claw through websites and brick-and-mortar shopping aisles waiting for inspiration, then just hope you’ve bought something meaningful for the recipient.

At Unbound Merino, we want to take the guesswork out of holiday gift-giving. The ideal gift should be a) practical, b) versatile, c) relevant to the recipient, and d) exciting. Some of those criteria may seem at odds (what's practical and exciting?), but we believe our line of merino wool clothing meets the requirements.

Below, we’ve crafted the ultimate Unbound Merino gift-giving guide to help you breeze through your gift list this year. In the sections below, explore standouts from our merino wool catalogue alongside short descriptions and ideas for recipients (i.e. “our merino wool leggings are perfect for the yoga lover in your life”). And if you’re reading this in 2022, consult our holiday shipping deadlines to ensure your gift makes it there in time.

Menswear for the Sophisticated, Comfort-Loving Guy in Your Life

If there’s a guy in your life who values comfort, put-togetherness and performance, there’s a high likelihood we have the right gift for him.

Unbound’s suite of men’s merino products emphasizes versatility and clean sophistication. Our products are naturally sweat-wicking and antimicrobial, ensuring that they last ages between washes (a bonus for the avid traveller on your list). They’re insulating and breathable, making them suitable for a range of climates and activities. And we’ve crafted each garment with a stylish cut, medium drape and various neutral tones that relay a minimalist sophistication.

It’s simple stuff done impeccably well. Let’s take a closer look.

Shop the Tops

Let’s start at the top.

Gift shoppers eyeing an all-purpose, utilitarian article of clothing should check out our renowned merino wool t shirts. This is where it all started for us: the garment that launched us into the backpacks of countless travellers, and into the closets of countless more. It’s more than a t-shirt, a fact you quickly realize when you pick it up. It’s light yet durable, soft but structured. And critically, it looks and feels like a really good holiday gift.

Since our initial success with t-shirts, Unbound has deepened its bench with several other tops designed specifically for different lifestyles, tastes and seasons. Our Long Sleeve Merino Crew matches the understated simplicity of our t-shirts with some added warmth and coverage. The Merino Button Up shirts translate our high-comfort/high-performance clothing for the workplace, offering a sleek and sustaining take on business casual. And our slate of men's merino hoodies and sweaters allow you to wear your Unbound as a top layer in cold weather – because who wants to hide clothing this stylish?

Likewise, if you have a golfer, boater or all-around semi-casual superstar on your gift list (see: dads everywhere, for instance), check out our Merino Polos, which you can buy as a single item or 2-pack. They're sophisticated enough for the links but casual enough for the home office.

The Bottom Half

"Our underwear is famous" isn't a statement many people get to make, but we can. Our merino wool boxer briefs have graced the pages of GQ, Men’s Health, National Post and (to underline our bona fides) countless Reddit threads about minimalist packing wardrobes.

Most people focus on the fact that you don’t need to wash these boxers very often. (As Vox points out: “Unbound Merino’s… washless claims hold up to scientific scrutiny.”) But others just like them because they’re comfortable. They’re crowd-pleasing, buzzy pieces of practical clothing that make for an excellent stocking stuffer. The same goes for our unisex, all season merino socks.

For the main event, check out our men's merino wool pants. You can opt for MerinoTencel Sweatpants, which sport a fitted, athletic look that you can still take for a night on the town. Or our ultra-light Merino Travel Pants, made from machine-washable, premium Italian Merino wool – a remarkably comfortable pair of pants appreciated by anyone who’s boarded a long-haul flight in jeans.

Bundle Up for Winter

If you can’t decide or don’t want to decide, head straight to the “Bundle & Save” section. There, you’ll find several combinations of our men’s merino items, including:

• 3-pack of t-shirts
• 2-pack of merino button-ups
• 3-pack of merino boxer briefs
• A 3-pack bundle including shirts, underwear and socks
• A knit sweater and t-shirt bundle
• And several other combinations

With each bundle, you save money. For instance, the 3-pack bundle of shirts/underwear/socks saves you $122 compared to buying the items individually. It’s an economical way to give the special recipients on your list an impressive gift.

Winter Collection

Not many people buy shorts as holiday gifts. Maybe it’s because, in the dead of winter, we can’t fathom a world where someone might need shorts. (That doesn’t have to be the case – our Unbound shorts make an excellent gift for people who travel year-round).

At any rate, if you want to give your gift recipients something immediately and critically useful, check out our new merino wool clothing for winter. Our merino wool scarves and beanies are a far cry from the scratchy conventional wool accompaniments, but they still keep you just as warm. And our new Merino Cardigan and Heritage Knit Sweater work as standalone outer layers on a chilly holiday morning. These winter items are perfect for any guy (or woman) who works outdoors, travels to cold countries, bundles up for their morning commute – or pretty much anyone who loves feeling cozy.  

Women’s Clothing for the Stylish Jetsetter on Your List

If there’s a woman on your list who prizes understated style and peak functionality, they’re going to love our women’s line of merino wool clothing.

Our women’s clothing is designed for the rigors of travel – these garments are built for agility, climate fluctuation and, naturally, standing out in a crowd. But they aren’t solely for the jet-setters on your list. Because merino wool is naturally insulating and soft, it also favours quiet days inside, lounging on the couch or typing away at work. And because the material wicks sweat and facilitates airflow, merino wool is also an ideal choice for fitness.

Explore a few standouts from our women’s line in the sections below.

Shirts Built for Life on the Go

How many garments can you take straight from the office to an evening run? How many garments can you stuff in a go-bag without worrying about wrinkles? How many clothing items look this good and feel this good? Not many.

When we recently launched our women’s line of merino clothes, we had clear objectives: make it tough and make it look great. You can see those objectives writ large in our women's merino wool t shirt – a rare combination of elegance and durability. If there’s a woman on your gift list who gets things done and needs a garment that can keep up, this is your gift.

Likewise, if you're searching for something immediately relevant (i.e., fit for winter temperatures), check out our women's Long Sleeve Merino Crew. Its tightly woven superfine fibres, matched with the naturally insulating keratin molecules in wool, make it the ultimate base layer for cold weather.

The Only Leggings You’ll Need

The mark of a great legging is versatility. It needs to be breathable enough for a hot day of travel but insulating enough for a winter walk. You should be able to close the door at the end of a tough day and not immediately want to fling your pants off; at the same time, it can’t look so casual that you reserve it for indoor wear. It’s a tall order to fill, but our women’s Merino Leggings rise to the challenge.

If your gift list contains avid travellers, working women, busy moms, fitness fanatics or comfort lovers, consider the Unbound Merino Leggings. They last a remarkable amount of time between washes, making them the only leggings your recipient will need.

The Merino Wool Travel Dress

Our issue with the average cotton or polyester travel dresses is that they appear to be designed by non-travellers. Some of them look good, but they can’t withstand the actual real-life stresses of a life on the move. With the faintest physical activity or heat, they catch and store odours. With the slightest jostling in the bottom of a travel bag, they wrinkle. And at the end of a sweaty trek, you need to peel them off. That just doesn’t cut it.

Our women’s Merino Travel Dress is everything those other dresses should be. It’s light, wrinkle-resistant, odour-resistant, airy and comfortable. And it’s the perfect gift for the adventuring woman on your list.

Packing Up for the Holidays

Men aren’t the only gift recipients who enjoy an impressive bundle. In our Holiday Gift Packs section, you’ll find bundle-and-save options for women like our:

• 3-pack Women’s Merino tees
• 2-pack Women’s Long Sleeves
• A t-shirt and leggings bundle
• A Long Sleeve and T-Shirt bundle
• And merino wool hats and scarves

Because each of our items is naturally antibacterial, sweat-wicking and breathable, these packages get a lot of mileage – you could start a micro-capsule wardrobe with any of the bundles above. They’re ideal for the minimalist woman on your list who prefers a streamlined wardrobe.

The Ideal Gift for the Stubborn Individualist in Your Life

It’s all well and good to cycle through specific gift ideas, but specific ideas can backfire – especially with the more selective recipients on your list. Everyone knows at least one person whose towering sense of personal taste makes it nearly impossible to shop for them. They want what they want.

You want to believe you can pick the right clothing article, but you’re also not looking forward to the gamble. In these cases, the ideal gift is the gift of choice: Unbound Merino gift cards, available in various denominations ranging from $25 to $250.

With a gift card, the individualist in your life has carte blanche on the Unbound website – they can shop for versatile underwear, a statement-y sweater or chic black Merino Travel Dress. They can stock up on essential items for winter or plan ahead for their summer travel plans. Plus, unlike other gift cards (that look so naked and careless sitting in an envelope), the Unbound gift card comes encased in a sleek black gift box.

Like all the items at the Unbound store, you can pay for your gift card in four interest-free installments using afterpay. We understand that personal cash flow is important over the holidays, especially if you’re staring at a long list. So, take your time and break down the purchase price into manageable payments.

Ideas for the Last-Minute Holiday Shopper

Everyone’s guilty, at one point or another, of procrastinating their gift list. Sometimes, life gets in the way, and late December sneaks up faster than you think.

If you don’t hit the shipping cut-offs in time (see the intro section for a handy link), don’t worry. You still have options. You can purchase the aforementioned gift card as a digital gift card, which will appear immediately in your inbox upon purchase. If you had a particular garment in mind, you could always forward a link to the recipient alongside the digital gift card. They still get their gift, and you can pass it off as an intentional gesture toward paper-free convenience – win-win!

This holiday season, give your loved ones and extended acquaintances the gift of versatility, performance, durability and comfort. Give them the gift of Unbound Merino.