Slippers by Magicfelt® feel just like a piece of nature on your feet. They are made from pure wool shorn from mountain-bred sheep, and felted the traditional way to make these feather-light, comfortably warm slippers. But where does the wool come from? The Magicfelt® brand is unique because it uses wool obtained exclusively from endangered sheep breeds found in Tyrol, Austria and Europe.
With this special selection of sheep breeds, Magicfelt® contributes to the conservation of the endangered sheep species. Because of the decrease of the wool from these animals, small-scale sheep farmers receive support from private companies like Magicfelt®, thus contributing to the preservation of the breeds. The renewable and thus sustainable raw material is locally processed, but without the addition of chemicals to keep the pelts as close to natural as possible. This gives the various wool pelts a special look, whilst retaining the respective coat color of rare animals partially unchanged. In addition, each type of sheep's wool has different specific properties that will later benefit the feet of slipper lovers.
Tyrolean Stone Sheep
The Tyrolean Stone Sheep breed is one of the oldest worldwide. It comes from the Neolithic Peat sheep and is native to Tyrol. With a warm, water-resistant coat of coarse upper hair and a fine undercoat, these animals can withstand the harshest weather. The wool impresses with its silky shine. Due to their low number, these animals are acutely endangered: There are only about 6,000 sheep left.
Tyrolean mountain sheep
In contrast, the Tyrolean mountain sheep is striking. Evolving from a cross between the Tyrolean Steinschaf and northern Italian Bergamasker sheep, this breed thrives particularly well in the harsh, alpine mountain climate. The down-to-earth pelt color characterizes the wool.
Swiss Jura sheep
It has its origins in Frutigschaf, located in the French-speaking region of Switzerland. The wool of this mountain sheep has a particularly fine, almost merino-like, quality. The pleasant dark-brown color of the wool is highly appealing when made into slippers, conveying a sense of comfort visually and also when worn.
Coburger Fuchsschaf
A tough country sheep breed. The unique feature of this wool is its reddish-brown color; at birth it is golden yellow to reddish-brown (like a ‘Golden fleece’). It brightens over time, but retains its reddish-brown shimmer. Currently there are only a few thousand Coburger sheep left.
Moorschnucke
The Moorschnucke is one of the oldest sheep breeds in Central Europe. It has always lived in moors, and can—in contrast to other conspecifics—swim. It has a pure white coat with long, brittle upper wool that hardly felts, as well as a fine under-wool. The Moorschnucke was considered almost extinct and was included in the "red list" of the IUCN (World Conservation Union). Currently, however, there are already 5,000 animals thanks to breeding.
Shetland Sheep
From the rough Shetland Islands in the subarctic Atlantic north of Scotland come these sheep. They are small, hardy and extremely adaptable short-tailed sheep. Their wool is very fine, soft and ruffled, and is available in many natural color variations, from which we have selected "moorit", a warm shade of light brown.
Gotland sheep
On the Swedish island of Gotland, there are still about 9,000 purebred Gotland sheep existing, aptly named after the same island. This is a very quaint and special breed of country sheep, and both male and females carry impressive and powerful horns. Unlike this rough-looking look, the gray-wooled pelt of these animals is very soft. In the past, Vikings traded using the wool and hides of Gotland sheep.
