New Merino Apparel Vendor point6 Launches

June 17, 2008
SGB Update

Former Smartwool Founders Peter and Patty Duke said their new merino wool sock company, point6, is up and running. The company is selling it's own branded merino wool socks exclusively via its highly animated Web site.


On Tuesday, the site featured outdoor, active, lifestyle, cycling, running, skiing and snowboarding socks priced at about 25-30% below comparable SmartWool socks. For instance, point.6's trekking heavy duty crew sock was priced at $13.27 compared to $17.95 for SmartWool.

The company's name is a reference to the ability of merino wool to maintain an optimal body temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The couple's five-year, no-compete agreement with SmartWool expired in January.


The Dukes say point6 uses a compact spinning process to remove more air from between the merino fibers, creating a softer, finer and more durable yarn. While other manufacturers may use small percentages of compact spun yarns in their products, point6 uses them exclusively. Once spun, point6 merino is knit with finer gauge needles to produce more stitches per inch – and literally more merino per inch – increasing longevity and durability.

In addition to using naturally renewable merino wool fibers, point6.com keeps packaging, shipping and merchandising to a minimum through our exclusive use of the Internet as a retail channel. The are putting the finishing touches on our 1% for the Planet membership to incorporate an easy and effective way to increase what it gives back as produces more product.


The company will will officially launch a grassroots marketing campaign at the Telluride Bluegrass festival on June 19, 2008, during which employees will give out samples from the back of diesel vans with “pimped-out sound systems.”




New Merino Apparel Vendor point.6 Launches

SGB Update

Point6.com, online purveyor of premium compact-spun merino wool products, has officially arrived as the online evolution of merino wool.


Point6.com, so named as a reference to the ability of merino to maintain an optimal body temperature of 98 point6 degrees Fahrenheit, has launched an online-only retail store to facilitate a direct relationship with the end-user. This also allows point6.com to provide one heck of a good deal, with products typically priced at 30% off standard retail.


Tribal Chiefs and Founders Peter and Patty Duke have returned, after a brief stint in retirement, to incorporate their own unique brand of uncorporate culture in their new venture. A visit to the just-launched point6 website (www.point6.com) reveals a fun-seeking, spirited tribe of merino wool advocates ready to spread the wool.


“This new company represents the fusion of professional principles that are a priority for me: an excellent product, an innovative approach, and most importantly, a fun dynamic inherent in all of our internal and external activities,” said founder Peter Duke.


With a new spin on traditional construction, point6.com utilizes a compact spinning process to remove more air from between the merino fibers, creating a softer, finer and more durable yarn. While other manufacturers may use small percentages of compact spun yarns in their products, point6.com uses them exclusively. Once spun, point6 merino is knit with finer gauge needles to produce more stitches per inch – and literally more merino per inch – increasing longevity and durability.


In addition to using naturally renewable merino wool fibers, point6.com keeps packaging, shipping and merchandising to a minimum through the exclusive use of the internet as a retail channel. The company is also putting the finishing touches on its 1% for the Planet membership to incorporate an easy and effective way to increase what it gives back as the company increases what it takes in.


This comprehensive grassroots effort will officially launch during the Telluride Bluegrass festival on June 19, 2008, during which the traveling tribe of point6 scouts, complete with diesel vans, pimped-out sound systems and boatloads of free socks to give away, will convene to gather tribal members and discuss the finer points of point6.

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