Merino wool growers may be surprised to realise that the fibre they produce could be used to make shoes, rain jackets or even yoga mats - the applications for wool having expanded well beyond the woollen jumper.
AWI general manager for processing innovation and education extension Julie Davies said there were now opportunities for wool in industries from home furnishing to car manufacturing.
"Globally we're trying to spread the message that wool is a very old and respected fibre but the new applications for wool are incredible," Ms Davies said.
One of the latest innovations has been 3D printing on Merino wool, a project by Italian design hub D-House in partnership with partnership The Woolmark Company.
"3D printing has been around for a while, but it's quite new to the fashion industry," Ms Davies said.
"It's a print process that builds up a polymer liquid on top of a flat surface and then is dried under UV lighting, you can design any shape, form or pattern."
Innovative technology has also opened up opportunities for wool in the footwear industry, in both lifestyle and active wear shoes.
Ms Davies explained that the upper part of a shoe could be made from both knitted and woven wool and they were also looking at wool canvas shoes that could be compared to the Converse boot.
"We worked with Levi recently on wool lining on shoes - footwear and accessories is a really exciting growth area for us," Ms Davies said.
RELATED READING
AWI previously partnered with major Chinese weaver Nanshan to develop a woollen, water and wind repellent jacket.
"The process to make the yarn is was called optim technology, it's quite unique resulting in the output of highly technical, performance fabrics and garments" Ms Davies said.
"It's actually stretching the top fibre, then they spin the yarn and weave the fabric, before it contracts.
"People touch it and say 'that's not wool', but we want designers, brands and consumers to be aware of how wool, today, can actually feel and how it can perform."
The optim fabric has now also been used in footwear, to create water resistant shoes.
Ms Davies said workwear was another area of focus, including for tradesmen, fire brigades, police, military, health professionals and professional sportspeople.
Wool was also being used in car interiors and home furnishings, for example using wool to improve the acoustics of apartment buildings near busy roads.
It is not only fine wool producers who are seeing more markets open up, with opportunities also presenting for medium and strong wool microns.
"Stronger, broader wools are really great for abrasion resistance, footwear and outer-wear for example, it's not skin to skin and you want more durability on that fabric," Ms Davies said.
THE PRADA DESIGNER MEETS THE SHEEP FARMER
Ms Davies explained brands had sourcing teams, whose job it was to scour the world for new processes or products for designers.
However, more and more brands were asking for traceability as well as expertise and Ms Davies said educating both designers and consumers on Australian Merino wool was a crucial part of AWI's role.
"With food you look at the label and want to know where it comes from, that's starting to happen with garments," she said.
Australian Merino wool already has a strong brand recognition among designers and consumers, but Ms Davies said it was when people saw the industry up close that they became real advocates for wool.
"Pre-COVID we arranged retail and training trips, bringing head designers and sourcing team managers from brands such as Prada, Burberry, GAP ... to Australia to meet the growers," Ms Davies said.
"They see first-hand the passion and dedication by the wool growers ... and they come away with a greater understanding and respect that the 'on farm' wool industry is every bit as sophisticated and technical, if not more, as the 'off farm' industry, it's a light bulb moment."
One designer got up and addressed a dinner we had ... and I think it was one of the most educational experiences you could get as a wool grower.
- Neil Harris, who hosted designers at his sheep farm
Sheep farmer Neil Harris, Pine Grove, Costerfield, Vic hosted designers from US/Canadian brands GAP, Lululemon and Banana Republic in 2019.
"It was absolutely brilliant," Mr Harris said, explaining he showed the designers the whole shearing process.
Mr Harris said he thought it was very important that decision-makers for brands understood the process and also, that sheep growers in turn understood what they based their decisions on.
"One designer got up and addressed a dinner we had ... and I think it was one of the most educational experiences you could get as a wool grower," Mr Harris said.
He said one of the most significant decision-making points raised by the designers was the price of wool.
"One of the designers said they had had to cut the percentage of wool they used in the garment from 70 per cent back to 40 per cent because wool was so dear - that rang alarm bells with me," Mr Harris said.
"The price of wool was gradually coming back by then but still they were feeling the pain.
"They said they would love to use 70pc wool because it gives them superior performance for what they were doing but they had to get costs down."
Have you signed up to The Land's free daily newsletter? Register below to make sure you are up to date with everything that's important to NSW agriculture.
