Fleece to Fashion Awards keeps wool in the fashion spotlight

"At that time there was not a lot of promotion of wool, so something had to be done," said Liz Foster - a founding member of the Fleece to Fashion Awards who was among that group.

Under the umbrella of the New England Wool Expo, they created a contest to showcase what happens to wool beyond the farm gate.

Under the umbrella of the New England Wool Expo, they created a contest to showcase what happens to wool beyond the farm gate.

"It started out almost like a CWA jumper competition really," Mrs Foster said.

"It was everyday garments you'd wear down the street.

"We had lots of jumpers with birds - it was that era of the '80s when that sort of thing was quite popular."

Forty years later, the bird jumpers have been replaced with a collection of show-stopping, high-end Merino wool garments, judged by fashion luminaries like Jonathon Ward, Akira Isogawa and Melissa Hoyer.

Mrs Foster says tapping into the next generation of up-and-coming fashion designers really gave the event a life of its own.

"When we started targeting secondary students doing textiles and fashion at places like UTS and Whitehouse and RMIT in Melbourne we got really interesting garments then - and still do," Mrs Foster said.

"They think outside the square."

Last year's Fleece to Fashion Gala Awards night, held at the landmark octagonal Deeargee Woolshed at Uralla, welcomed a capacity crowd of 350 black-tie clad patrons through the gates and into the pens to witness the unique wool fashion parade.

The awards night will be back at Deeargee in November this year, and entries have already started rolling in from Australia and overseas.

There are some incredible prizes on offer for student designers, including an all-expenses-paid Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) Internship and attendance at the international Woolmark Awards in Los Angeles, as well as a three-month mentorship with Akira Isogawa.

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New England wool growers and local businesses are supporting the event with a healthy $10,000 cash prize pool in the open categories.

Fleece to Fashion chairman and Armidale wool grower Lachlan Fulloon said the aim was to keep wool at the top of the fashion industry's list of favoured fibres.

"We're thrilled to offer these opportunities to student designers that not only provide a fantastic career benefit to them, but also an introduction to the world of wool, it's versatility and useability.

"Connecting the next generation of designers with the New England wool growing community fosters deep appreciation for how farming and fashion can work together to showcase this remarkable fibre and keep it on the world's catwalks."

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