From Fiber to Fashion–Stretch Your Imagination!

Imagine the world’s most versatile natural fiber--superfine, luxuriously soft with incredible natural elasticity, creating fabrics that effortlessly follow the body’s form.  This is Merino wool, and Australian Merino is the world’s finest!

Background:  A million years in the making, Merino is undergoing a renaissance. Merino is being rediscovered and reshaped by designers taking advantage of the move back toward natural fibers.  A product of the ages, a yarn for all seasons, Merino is the fiber of our times.

The first Merino sheep arrived in Australia with the First Fleet in 1788.  Originating from Spain, they adapted very well to the harsh Australian climate; and through selective breeding, the Australian wool fleece gained notoriety.

By 1807 Merino wool production in Australia had advanced to the point tha John Macarthur, breeder of the first Australian Merino, began exporting the first bales of wool for sale in England.

200 years later, with the help of Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), the research, development, innovation, and marketing body working for and owned by 29,000 Australian farmers, designers across the globe are continually discovering new and innovative ways to enhance the attributes of Australian Merino.  To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the Australian Merino Wool trade, AWI has created a series of special yarns, fabrics, and apparel.

Benefits of Australian Merino:

• Comfort – Merino is soft as silk, and one of the most comfortable fabrics to wear.
• Natural – In our environmentally conscious time, Merino’s sustainability and biodegradability are highly marketable properties.
• Performance – Qualities like high insulation and low air permeability have made Merino a favorite for outdoor apparel, while its moisture transport gives athletes an edge in performance.
• Safety – Merino offers naturally high UV protection and fire resistance.  And, after recent innovations, even has application in bulletproof vests. AWI is investigating the use of Merino with para-aramid fibers or ultra high modulus polyethylene to produce a ballistic vest that is as light as possible, but still delivers the desired protection and comfort without restricting movement.
• Style – The Merino fiber has a wide range of attributes that make it the choice of the world’s leading fashion designers
• Easy Care – Wool has had a “handwash” reputation over the years.  But, Merino has a natural resilience and modern Merino fabrics are truly easy-care.  Recent innovations mean Merino garments are no longer hand-wash only. Developments initiated by AWI have delivered Merino garments that can be machine-washed and tumble dried.

AWI Supports Your Business:

• Knowledge: AWI’s global chain of suppliers and in-depth product development knowledge works all the way down the wool pipeline, right back to the farm gate, accessing a global knowledge network from supply sourcing to consumer insights, market intelligence, and trend forecasting.  To provide assistance in this area, AWI has developed the Merino Source to quickly connect your business with the right Merino resources. 
• Innovation: AWI provides external R & D, from releasing seasonal Merino innovations that can be commercialized to suit its partners’ specific end-use applications, to developing a specific innovation in response to a partner’s consumer needs.
• Marketing Support: AWI is dedicated to making Australian Merino garments commercially successful and desirable by communicating the added value of Australian Merino through a series of communication tools, from brand development, to collateral and related POS materials.  Its recent acquisition of the Woolmark brand reaffirms AWI’s commitment to re-invigorating and expanding the wool industry.  The marketing of the Woolmark brand globally will be an ongoing priority for AWI.  For designers, retailers, and consumers across the globe, the Woolmark brand assures the use of only the finest quality wool--Australian Merino.

It is AWI’s primary aim to help its global partners in bringing new Merino products to market, and ensuring that they sell strongly.  The Woolmark brand is a consumer assurance that the woolen garment in their hands is certified Australian Merino wool.

E-mail Marketing & Sales: Stuart McCullough