Managing director Leonnee Pinchen-Martin hailed it as “incredibly successful” and said bringing the awards to Tamworth had proved to be a good decision.

This was the second year the awards had been held in the city and the focus was on celebrating the versatility of wool and having fun with fabrics.

Ms Pinchen-Martin said she worked with Kristi Cini, from New York’s Broadway Dance Center, on the choreography, to make the event even more entertaining.

“It featured our own Gomeroi Dance Company, and Kristi used local dancers from the New England areas,” she said.

“The dancing also featured Verity Brown, who is currently studying dance in New York City.”

Ms Brown danced with a wool blend piece of fabric.

Former local woman Lucy Virgona, now attending the University of Technology Sydney, won the Supreme Award and came first in the Racewear category, and comes from a wool-growing family in the New England.

The event was popular with the locals, with the dinner selling out and the gallery upstairs in the Tamworth Town Hall also selling well.

“The public really got behind the event,” she said.

They were also surprised that many of the garments were even made from wool.

“You always hear the comment that ‘That’s not wool’,” Ms Pinchen-Martin said.

“Every single one of the garments are made from at least 60 per cent wool and people were quite amazed at the wool blend. The evening gowns were produced from merino wool.” 

The wintry conditions proved the perfect night to celebrate woollen fabrics. Ms Pinchen-Martin said the event would be held again in Tamworth next year, but hoped to keep it here for even longer.

“We hope for more support from business and council so we can keep it here in the future. We will have it here next year and gauge from there where we will go,” she said.

The planning has already begun for 2016.