Biella Masters learn about Aussie wool

Six Italian postgraduate students on a global study tour recently visited Australia to increase their knowledge of the Australian wool industry and how the fibre is produced.

AWI supported the visit in September by the six Italian students on the Biella Master Noble Fibre postgraduate course to help them learn more about the production and natural attributes of Merino wool in Australia.

During their year-long course, which is based in Biella, the students examine the entire textile supply chain, from the raw materials through to the final product. In addition to their studies in Italy, the students undertake an overseas tour, including to Australia.

Woolmark has supported visits to Australia by Biella Master students since 1989 which demonstrates the long-standing relationship between the two organisations.

The six Italian postgraduate students on their visit to Australia: Giorgia Bragagnolo, Morena Chiriano, Lara Lazzaroni, Illaria Lovera, Clara Marini and Andrea Moro.

This year, the students began their trip by visiting the Sportscraft office in Sydney to meet with the brand’s Head of Design and learn about the retailing of wool apparel. Their stay in Sydney also included a workshop at the AWI office where they learnt more about Australian wool, marketing, Woolmark licensing and traceability, sustainability, wool innovations and The Wool Lab sourcing guide.

The students then visited the wool auctions at Yennora, before travelling to Goulburn to see AWH’s wool handling facility. They then visited several wool-growing properties in the Southern Tablelands of NSW, Thalabah Merino Stud at Laggan and Hillcreston Park Superfine Merino Stud at Bigga, where the students were shown shearing, fleeces, stud sheep as well as lambing ewes.

The Italian postgraduate students at Thalabah Merino Stud at Laggan, NSW.

“The thing I like most about wool is its versatility; it’s a fibre which fits well into every daily situation. It would be great if everyone started dressing in wool.”
- Andrea Moro, Biella Master student

The students said they found the tour very informative, and they came out of the experience with a very positive appreciation for Australian wool.

“My knowledge of wool increased a lot during this trip. Having the opportunity to see the very beginning of the supply chain closed the loop I started 10 months ago in Biella,” said Andrea Moro who is a graduate in Economics & Management of Government at Bocconi University in Milan.

“The most impressive thing I learnt was about the tireless work farmers do from a genetics perspective to produce the desired micron, and the farmers’ many strategic decisions regarding farm management and market positioning of their fibre. Before coming to Australia I had a much simpler, and simplistic, view of farms, but I now appreciate the important business aspect to farming.

“What I found most interesting about the tour was the functioning of the wool market. My background is economics and therefore to me it was very interesting to find out how Australian wool is traded, largely via an auction system. Attending the wool auction blew my mind – it was one of the most exciting things I’ve seen in my life.

“The part of the trip I most enjoyed was the time on the farms. I come from a small town next to the mountains and I’m a nature-lover, so I feel at ease in this environment. Besides the amazing landscapes, I enjoyed the warm hospitality of the people who hosted us as well as having the opportunity to compare what I had just seen in New Zealand the week before, concerning both the land and livestock management and the managerial decisions to run a farm.”