Corriedale Association

‘An Australian Wool Innovation CEO has not spoken to us for a long time, if ever’ was the remark from Brendon Lush of the Corriedale Association.

AWI CEO Brenda McGahan spoke at the Association’s annual general meeting about the increased role of broader micron wool and fresh initiatives to market non Merino wool in the interiors sector.

More than half the Woolmark licensees in Australia are in the interiors sector such as the pillow and blanket manufacturer Tontine.

AWI’s general manager Australia Stuart McCullough spoke of the great opportunity for wool in the United States for the sock market, for example, where less than 0.5 percent of socks worn, contain wool.

Women of Wool

Pity any man who made it into the Women of Wool lunch at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo. From all reports men did not get a good report card from comedy sensation Denise Scott but much laughter could be heard from the luncheon that involved 170 women of wool. Four women involved with the industry, including AWI CEO Brenda McGahan, were honoured at the event. Brenda spoke of the many women at AWI, from those researching new textiles and working with Woolmark licensees across key overseas markets, to women in senior management roles, all working to sell more wool.

Judging floor

Pampered Merinos adorned with multi-coloured sashes were momentarily swept aside from the judging floor as a presentation about the future of the industry took centre stage.

About 200 Merino breeders, commercial woolgrowers, woolbrokers and prime lamb producers came to hear and discuss AWI’s new Strategic and Operational Plan.

Transforming the company to a leaner, more commercially focussed organisation was the key message. Targeted marketing campaigns using leveraged funding with retail and brand partners are one of the key planks of the new plan, along with a Woolmark global sales network that aims to become self funding.

‘Woolgrowers keep telling us they can grow the wool; they need help to sell it and that is exactly what we plan to do,’ Brenda told the assembled crowd. 

WoolPoll 2009

WoolPoll 2009 was launched at a breakfast function at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show. Woolpoll panel chairman Will Roberts spoke of the importance of voting in this year’s poll, which is perhaps the most important in the industry’s history. AWI CEO Brenda McGahan described Woolpoll as ‘democracy at work’ in the wool industry. She spoke of an evolving AWI, changing to meet a changing world market and a changing wool industry and how there were significant differences through this era of AWI.

Woolpoll panel chairman Will Roberts at the Woolpoll breakfast launch.

‘Our global sales campaigns will focus on products available at retail, as we showed in the Korean Marketing Program. Woolgrowers funds will be leveraged with our partners for these marketing budgets, as in the Japanese Marketing Program. And we have brought the science and sales teams closer together.’

Fashion Parade

As is usually the case at these events, the fashion parade attracted large crowds. AWI’s Scarlet Hill took to the microphone and introduced dozens of innovative woollen garments. From formal menswear and flowing evening gowns through to streetwear, casualwear and spotswear. The many fashion parades demonstrated wools great versatility and innovation.

AWI’s Scarlet Hill takes the audience through an impressive array of woollen garments, from formal to streetwear, showing the diversity and innovation of the world’s best natural fibre.