With a population of over 1.4 billion, China represents the world’s most lucrative fashion market. Chinese consumers are also increasingly sophisticated and constantly demanding a quality upgrade thanks to the rise of e-commerce and the proliferation of brand choices. To seize such an opportunity, Australian Wool Innovation’s The Woolmark Company, teamed up with Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai to launch its first-ever br... Read More

Price movements were minimal this week at Australian wool auctions. The most notable influence on wool values stemmed from the foreign exchange (forex) rates which saw the AUD strengthen strongly against all the major trading currencies.  Demand was predicted to be soft from the outset, which it was initially, but as the week progressed, buying intensity from most operators lifted and competition was strongest at... Read More

North Island offering 7,000 bales made up of 40% good colour fleece, 35% second shear, bulk 75mm, 15% associated oddments, 5% lambs and 5% miscellaneous. South Island offering 8,100 bales made up of 45% crossbred fleece good/average colour, 10% crossbred second shear bulk 75/100mm, 15% associated oddments, 10% merino fleece, 10% halfbred fleece and 10% miscellaneous. Limited competition from buyers in China an... Read More

Below we bring you a good news story. If accurate this is a very welcome read during a time of much gloom and doom. The article below appeared in the Telegraph this week. ‘To look at the performance of the benchmark S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average, both nudging all time highs, or even the UK’s own still somewhat Brexit beleaguered FTSE stock market indices, you wouldn’t believe that we are still in the grip... Read More

Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) Chairman Colette Garnsey OAM has used her Annual General Meeting speech to highlight the bright long-term future for wool after a difficult 2020 for many woolgrowers. AWI is owned by Australian woolgrowers and is the industry’s research, development and marketing company. It is also the owner of the iconic Woolmark brand. “Following on from the devastating summer bushfires, COV... Read More

An interesting new development for strong wool is currently evolving. After many years of China being the dominant export destination for strong New Zealand wool (defined as fibre diameter greater than 35.4 micron), volumes to India have overtaken China for the first quarter of the 2020-2021 season. Read More

Micam, Mipel, Lineapelle and other trade shows will host their next editions simultaneously from March 20 to 24 at the Milano-Rho fairgrounds. As Italy is still grappling with the second wave of COVID-19 cases, a number of the country’s leading fashion fairs have jointly revealed they will postpone their upcoming editions to March 20 to 24 next year — a month later than usual. In particular, organizers of leading... Read More

Dave Burridge, New Zealand South Island Auction Manager, PGG Wrightson Wool puts a positive spin on what has been a very unusual year. He says: As the present fine wool sale season is drawing to an end, mid micron and merino returns to wool growers have largely recovered to pre-lockdown levels. Although returns are still back on what was sold in the previous two years, they remain well ahead of long-term historical ... Read More

Chinese president Xi Jinping has said China will open up its “super-sized” economy to import more high-quality goods and services. China will also sign free trade pacts with more countries, he said. Mr Xi was speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) forum, which includes the US and Russia. China and the US have been involved in a trade war since 2018 with a number of flashpoint over import tax... Read More

Dedicated merino wool producers Brendan, Susan, James and Nicole Finnigan, through their farming business Kia Ora Merino, are leaders in on-farm biosecurity, sustainable land management and animal welfare practices. They are strong advocates for biosecurity and best practice livestock and farm management. This has supported their market access and the quality of their farming environment. Their seamless ... Read More

The monthly comparisons of Total Lots, Bales and Weight for October 2020 compared with the same period last season are: -22.5%, -18.8% and -18.0% respectively. The progressive comparison of Total Lots, Bales and Weight for July 2020 to October 2020 compared with the same period last season are: -15.1%, -12.0% and -11.4% respectively.  AWTA Ltd has tested 84.8 mkg (million kilograms) this season compared with 9... Read More

Vietnam has minimised the economic damage from Covid-19 and is the only country in South East Asia on track for growth this year. Its economy is expected to grow 2.4% this year, according to latest figures from the International Monetary Fund. The IMF credited “decisive steps to contain the health and economic fallout from COVID-19” for the country’s success. Vietnam has had only 1,288 Covid-19 cases and 35 death... Read More