A Merino yarn about nature
Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia, a world leader in the production of fine yarns for knitwear, is highlighting the sustainability and quality of Merino wool in a new marketing campaign supported by The Woolmark Company that targets consumers as well as the textile trade.
Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia, a world leader in the production of fine yarns for knitwear, is highlighting the sustainability and quality of Merino wool in a new marketing campaign supported by The Woolmark Company that targets consumers as well as the textile trade.
A global leader in knitwear yarns for more than 160 years, Italian company Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia is one of the most prestigious manufacturers in the world. Each year it buys approximately 10 million kilograms of raw Australian Merino wool for its yarns.
To support its efforts to promote Merino wool as a sustainable and quality fibre and thereby drive sales, AWI’s marketing arm The Woolmark Company has joined forces with the Biella-based company to create and launch a marketing campaign titled: Merino Wool - Made by Nature.
At the heart of the campaign is a 3½ minute video that highlights the journey of Merino wool, from farm to fashion. It begins by showcasing the natural origin of Merino wool fibre on an Australian wool-growing property, ‘Glenrannoch’ in Victoria under the care of woolgrower Alistair Lade. The video then travels to the historic Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia factory that spins the wool into yarn, and features plant manager Nicola Mattassoglio. Lastly, renowned US-born and Milan-based designer Edward Buchanan tells why he chooses Merino wool yarns to make his beautifully knitted garments.
Launched at the Pitti Immagine Filati trade show in Florence in June, the video is also being promoted on a special landing page on the Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia website as well as through the company’s social media channels.
"Merino wool - Made by Nature is based on an extraordinarily eco-sustainable fibre: 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable, guaranteeing garments maximum breathability, softness, and elasticity."
- Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia website
As well as targeting the textile trade, the campaign will ultimately educate the final consumer about the benefits of wool thanks to the creation of bespoke interactive garment labels for brands that use the yarns. The labels include a QR code that links to the campaign webpage and video, revealing insights into the eco-benefits of the fibre and wool’s supply chain journey, for the brands’ consumers to view.
An additional educational video has also been produced for staff of Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia who speak to clients, to ensure that the staff are appropriately informed about the qualities and eco-benefits of Merino wool.
More information:
https://merinowoolmadebynature.baruffa.com
The people who feature in the campaign video – in their own words
Alistair Lade, woolgrower
“I run 10,000 ultrafine Merinos on a thousand hectares. In this environment up here that we really enjoy living in, we have beautiful clean water, good soils and with the right amount of sun we can grow high quality nutritious grass that is ideal for these ultrafine Merinos to produce some of the best natural fibre in the world.
“It’s a pleasure going out and seeing these happy, healthy sheep and they really respond to being looked after.”
Nicola Mattassoglio, spinner
“Our production is still hands-on as it was 150 years ago. Every incoming batch, as wool is a natural product, has its own special characteristics. It isn’t a standardised product. So, experience counts for a lot – the skilful touch and eye of the people who work for us.
“I’ve fallen in love with wool because it has an ease and comfort no other fibre can offer. And because it forms part of our tradition, our DNA, and we’re the best at making it.”
Edward Buchanan, designer
“I love wool. Wool is a fibre that I've used since the beginning of time. I love the flexibility, it’s really a yarn for me that’s the basis of whatever I do, no matter what season it is.
“I design in a way like Bauhaus furniture, I like to build things up strong and hard so they last for a long time and wool is one of those fibres that you can count on for that. It’s a yarn for me that I can use now and I’m sure then I'm going to have it in 20 years or longer.”
This article appeared in the September 2022 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
