New wool solutions for auto & off-road sports

The seventh and latest edition of AWI’s Woolmark Performance Challenge was launched last month. This year’s competition challenges tertiary students from across the world to develop innovative new product applications for Merino wool within the auto and off-road sports market.

Since its launch in 2018, the Woolmark Performance Challenge has cemented its place as the world’s leading ideas platform for the sports and performance-wear market, harnessing ground-breaking design with the unique natural properties of Australian Merino wool.

Unlike other competitions which are based solely on design aesthetics, the Woolmark Performance Challenge asks students to harness the power of engineering and garment technology, as well as nature, to innovate and give athletes advanced apparel solutions. The competition is open to students studying a wide range of specialisms.

During the past six editions of the competition, the program has involved nearly 7,000 tertiary students from more than 325 universities in 30 countries across the world, thereby giving AWI and its partners access to a global pool of world class inventive minds.

“By developing new innovations using Merino wool in the activewear sector, and promoting Merino wool as a technical fibre, the Woolmark Performance Challenge helps increase the demand for Australian wool.”
- Kelly Mcavoy, AWI Program Manager - Education Extension

AWI partners with sports and outdoor industry brands to amplify the messages about the competition and the performance benefits of Merino wool – and also to further embed appreciation for the fibre within the partner companies themselves.

Past program partners have been leading sportwear company adidas (twice), Norwegian-based outdoor apparel company Helly Hansen, Swiss running shoe and apparel brand On, Italian mountain equipment brand SALEWA, French outdoor and sporting goods company Salomon, and Italian America’s Cup sailing team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli.

For the 2025 competition, the partner is Alpinestars, the Italian world-leading manufacturer of apparel and equipment for motor and other action sports.

“We are pleased to embark on this partnership between Alpinestars and The Woolmark Company. By utilising our shared commitment to innovation, our aim is to combine our collective expertise from our fields of operation in order to merge sustainability and performance in the wide-ranging technical products we develop.”
- Chris Hillard, Alpinestars, Head of Media & Communications

A key component of the Woolmark Performance Challenge is to educate students about Merino wool. As they progress through the duration of the competition, the students become educated about the attributes and benefits of the fibre by utilising the Woolmark Learning Centre and educational webinars. This educational element of the competition not only arms the students with information to assist in their competition entry, but will also encourage and inspire them to think about wool in their future careers.

The 2025 competition brief

The 2025 Woolmark Performance Challenge asks tertiary students from across the world to create innovative, high-performance solutions tailored to withstand nature’s harshest elements across three distinct sports: motocross, auto racing, and off-road cycling.

For their submission, students in the 2025 Woolmark Performance Challenge are required to choose a brief for one of three sports and their related challenge:

Motocross (MX) / air: Channel the wool fibre’s natural breathability to design gear to enhance performance and comfort in high-intensity motocross environments.
Auto racing / fire: Harness the wool fibre’s inherent flame-resistant properties to develop advanced safety gear for auto racing.
Off-road cycling / water: Capitalise on the wool fibre’s moisture management and temperature regulating properties to create high-performance cycling apparel.

All entries to the competition must use a minimum of 50% Merino wool within their product composition, paired only with natural or recycled fibres. Entries must be submitted by 30 May 2025.

A three-month paid internship at Alpinestars in Asolo, Italy, will be awarded to the entrant that most impressively meets one of the three briefs set by Alpinestars. Up to five other selected participants will also be chosen for their innovative concepts to collaborate with Woolmark’s technical experts and supply chain partners to further develop their design.

More information: www.woolmarkchallenge.com