FAQ: Shipping

We treat our wool fabrics differently than other companies, focusing specifically on our treatment of wool and sustainable wool use. This creates unique fabrics made of 100% wool. These products absorb and can carry away more moisture - and can keep you warmer - than other wool. In the footwear industry, 20% of cut material is pure waste and is lost forever. We've found a new way to process our wool while producing 0% waste.

When it comes to our products, we pay special attention to using renewable, sustainable materials and production practices. That’s why we put a lot of value on—and effort into—choosing our base materials. It’s also why we only use high-quality, mulesing-free wool which meets our high standards for animal protection and quality. We’re particularly proud of these achievements in our sustainable production processes:

- 0% oil — since 2017, we no longer use oil to operate our machinery. Instead, we now use…

- 100% renewable resources for the operation of our machinery.

- 0% scrap waste – all of the wool scraps that accumulate during our production processes are recycled and used in new products.

-Up to 90% of our water is recycled during the production process – during our milling processes, we do not use any chemicals. This allows up to 90% of the process’s water to be reused.

Read even more about our Giesswein Green Strategy.

Our products are water resistent; wool is highly water resistant by nature.

Thanks to the natural fat found in Merino wool called Lanolin, our Merino Runners, Merino Wool Knit, Wool Cross X and Merino Wool Boots are water repellent. Wool’s natural properties create what is know as the “lotus effect,” meaning that water collects in droplets on the products’ surface and then slides off. 

Yes. Thanks to the natural base properties of Merino wool, our shoes are breathable, temperature-regulating, moisture-regulating and antibacterial. You can wear our Merino shoes barefoot, and your feet will neither sweat nor produce any unpleasant odors.

When you first purchase your Merino shoes, we recommend that you wear them with socks for three days. This will help you avoid potential blisters while allowing the shoe to mold to your foot.

Our unique materials and products are developed and designed in Brixlegg, which lies in Austria’s Alpine region called Tyrol. It’s here at our production site that our wool is knitted, boiled and softened until reaching its final stage: fine, high-quality Giesswein materials.

Our Merino Shoes are MADE IN AUSTRIA, and are assembled in Vietnam or China. Our unique Giesswein “3D Stretch Merino Wool” fabric, which is used in our Merino Shoes, is made in our textile production facility in Brixlegg, Tyrol, Austria. The shoes’ value and “soul” thus lies in Austria. The individual pieces—such as the sole, accessories and pieces of fabric—are then put together in Vietnam or China. The reason for this is because there are no European shoe manufacturers that have high enough production capabilities to meet the demand for our shoes. Our executive directors visit these factories in Vietnam and China two times per year, in person. The factories meet all Western standards; their work conditions are exemplary; and, the worksites are regularly reviewed.

Merino wool is a natural product, which means that it’s also a scarce good. The production of Merino wool, as well as its production process, requires a lot of time and know-how. To produce Merino wool with the highest standards results in the highest quality—and, it also results in a higher price. The wool farmers in Uruguay from whom we source our wool adhere to mulesing-free practices. For us at Giesswein, it’s also crucial that the sheep that produce are wool are treated with the highest of animal protection standards; that’s why we make sure that our contracts with our sources guarantee that our wool is mulesing-free. That’s how we’re able to ensure that we exclusively source wool yarn which does not put animals in harm’s way.

You can read more about the mulesing process and mulesing-free wool here.

Yes, feel free to use your own insole by removing the changeable footbed.

Some of our slippers, like our Vent or Veitsch models, come with an interchangeable footbed and work well with other inserts. You can simply take out the existing footbed and use your own orthopedic inserts.

PayPal payment

When you choose to pay with PayPal, you’ll be directed to the PayPal website at the end of your ordering process. When this happens, just log into your PayPal account and confirm the payment. Afterwards, you’ll get an order confirmation both on our website and via email.

Credit cards

We accept the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard and American Express.

If you’re paying with Visa or MasterCard, you might be given a “confirmation form” to fill out from your credit card company—e.g. Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode. In this case, please complete the info and authorize the payment. You must confirm the payment in order to be taken to our “order confirmation page,” and for your order to be processed.

Our Merino Runners, Merino Wool Knit, Wool Cross X and Merino Wool Boots can be machine washed on the “delicate” wool cycle, at a maximum of 30°C (90° F.)

When washing, we recommend that you use a laundry net and a normal wool detergent. Don’t wash your Merino shoes together with other clothing items.

Many machines use an intensive spin session at the end of the cycle in order to remove water from the items, but this should not be used when washing boiled wool. Instead, make sure that this setting is turned off on your machine, and gently press the water out of your shoes (for example, with a dry towel.) When caring for your Merino Runners, remember not to use any artificial drying methods: they should be air dried. Please do not put your Merino shoes into the dryer. Remember that when your shoes are lightly soiled that they can be cleaned with the simple use of a damp towel or gentle brush. If you choose to use a waterproofing spray on your Merino shoes, please ensure that the spray is designed for breathable materials.

Here you can find some further tips and a step-by-step guide to washing your Merino wool.