A rather unique week at Australian wool auctions whereby the Australian dollar prices faltered but the US dollar prices kicked up. This was almost wholly due to the foreign exchange (forex) rate moving 2.8% stronger. With the resulting weaker Merino fleece prices, the passed in rates soared to over 18% with grower sellers unwilling to accept the lower prices on offer. Over 50,000 bales were offered and this made it ... Read More

There were solid premiums paid for non-mulesed Australian Merino wool at auction in the first six months of the 2020/21 season, according to data and analysis available from AWEX. These premiums were a little lower than in 2019/20 but come even though prices for Merino wool fell to decade lows as the full brunt of the COVID pandemic was felt throughout the wool textile industry. The data also shows that there wer... Read More

South Island only  – offering 8,570 bales.  The selection was 40% fleece, 11% shears/hoggets, 12% lambs and 14% associated oddments.  There was also 10% halfbred fleece, 3% halfbred hogget, 7% merino and hogget fleece and 3% merino oddments.  Once again prices increased on the back of the previous week levels with all sectors operating.  The good colour fleece was particularly sought after.  The main competition ... Read More

A wild and ailing sheep found in a forest in Australia, named Baarack by rescuers, has yielded a fleece weighing more than 35kg – nearly half the weight of an adult kangaroo – after being shorn for the first time in many a year. The sheep was found by a member of the public who contacted the Edgar’s Mission Farm Sanctuary near Lancefield, Victoria, about 60km north of Melbourne, according to the Mission’s Mr Kyle... Read More

The Turkish garment industry plans to make more than $20 billion in exports in 2021, according to the head of the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) on Jan. 21.  In a written statement, Ismail Gülle said ready-to-wear clothing exceeded 10% of the country’s total exports in 2020, adding that the sector had managed to increase its exports in eight of 12 months last year. Exports to Canada rose the most by nearly ... Read More

Australian Wool Innovation  (AWI) will use the Everledger transparency platform to capture and make visible secure information about wool provenance and its supply chain to create new sources of value for wool growers, manufacturers and retailers. The Australian wool industry and its partners may soon be able to trace the lifetime journey of authentic wool products, thanks to a new partnership between the pioneer... Read More

The first sale of the 2021 summer season took place in Port Elizabeth on 9 February 2021, with 53 289 kg on offer of which 97% was sold. Although the offering of the first sale is always mixed and varied in length, the buyers actively competed for the small quantity of mohair on offer. The good competition for mohair between the buying houses has resulted in a 25% increase in the average market indicator (27% in ... Read More

Australian Wool Innovation Chief Executive Officer Stuart McCullough has congratulated the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team for winning the America’s Cup challenger series 7 races to 1 against the British challenger in New Zealand earlier this month. “Australian woolgrowers are reaping the benefits of linking up with the Italian challenger for the America’s Cup,” Mr. McCullough said. “AWI’s distinctive Woolmark logo... Read More

When people think of wool bedding they tend to think of duvets and blankets. However, Norwegian company Lillelam has launched a world-first commercially available duvet cover and a pillowcase made from 100% Merino wool. Norwegian company and Woolmark licensee Lillelam was launched in 2004 and pioneered children’s apparel made from pure Merino wool, which at that time was an unknown natural material for most peopl... Read More

Wool Industries Australia Inc. (WIA) congratulates the first recipients of the 2020 Australian Wool Industry Medal. The presentations were planned for Wool Week in August 2020 but due to the COVID lockdowns, WIA was not able to make the presentations. Five recipients have been chosen to receive the 2020 Australian Wool Industry Medal. The presentations will be made State by State. The first presentation to Mr Richar... Read More

The monthly comparisons of Total Lots, Bales and Weight for January 2021 compared with the same period last season are: -4.8%, -0.8% and -0.6% respectively.The progressive comparison of Total Lots, Bales and Weight for July 2020 to January 2021 compared with the same period last season are: -11.6%, -8.5% and -8.0% respectively. AWTA Ltd has tested 164.3 mkg (million kilograms) this season compared with 178.6 mkg ... Read More

The coronavirus pandemic has badly damaged economies across the world. Could an increased move towards a “circular economy” model aid the recovery?That is the suggestion in a new report by academics from five countries around the globe, and outlined in the article published by BBC Business. But what exactly is a circular economy? In simple terms, it means that products are made from recycled materials, and they t... Read More

Struggling British fashion retailer French Connection is in takeover talks with two possible suitors, it said. The group said it had received one approach from Spotlight Brands in conjunction with Gordon Brothers International and another from Go Global Retail in conjunction with HMJ International Services Ltd. French Connection said the talks were at a very early stage and there was no certainty an offer woul... Read More