ICICLE wool collection traceable to the farm
AWI has once again joined forces with leading Chinese eco-luxury brand ICICLE, this year unveiling a traceable Merino wool collection for Autumn/Winter 2024.
Founded in 1997, ICICLE is firmly established as one of China’s leading eco-luxury brands. ICICLE has adopted ‘Made in Earth’ as its brand philosophy and uses only high-quality natural fabrics from which it crafts elegant and contemporary garments for men and women.
During the past decade, AWI’s marketing arm The Woolmark Company has built a strong relationship with the brand, which is a Woolmark licensee, and the release in July of the brand’s inaugural traceable wool collection is a natural extension of this long-term collaboration.
The Autumn/Winter 2024 collection includes two core traceable ranges: the ‘Superfine Merino Wool Collection’ made from 13.75 micron wool and the ‘Dew Wool Collection’ using 17.5 micron wool.
Both collections embody a commitment to traceability with each garment featuring a QR code that, when scanned, provides details for customers of the origin of the wool in Australia and the supply chain it travelled. Customers can explore the wool-growing farms, the wool processing plants and the design concepts behind the product.
Back to the source: Co-founder and CEO of Chinese brand ICICLE, Mr Ye Shouzen, visiting the Elsom family’s ‘Old Ripponhurst’ wool-growing property in Victoria, pictured holding coats made from wool sourced from the same farm.
AWI CEO John Roberts says there has been a steady increase in demand by Chinese consumers for premium and sustainable products, which means it is vital that AWI and The Woolmark Company continue to partner with luxury brands such as ICICLE to build the use of Australian Merino wool in their collections.
“Partnerships such as this are important for Australian woolgrowers because they not only promote the benefits of Merino wool, but also showcase the eco-credentials of the fibre,” John said.
“With this new traceable wool collection, ICICLE features the actual Australian farms from which the wool in the collection is sourced. It provides a very strong marketing message. ICICLE is able showcase the farms’ strong commitment to quality, responsible wool production and environmental sustainability to its discerning consumers in China.
“There has been an emergence of sustainable fashion and consumption in China in recent years, with consumers increasingly interested in the provenance of products. Traceability and transparency help safeguard the global reputation of Australian wool for quality and environmental sustainability.”
From farm to fashion, back to farm: Knitwear from the ICICLE’s traceable Superfine Merino Wool Collection in a promotional photo at ‘Mulgowan’, the wool-growing property from where the fibre in the knitwear was sourced.
The traceable Superfine Merino Wool Collection comprises a dozen knitwear pieces which combine incredible fineness with longevity. Carefully curated from select Australian Merino wool, the fibre has an average diameter of 13.75 microns, providing a delicate tactile sensation comparable to cashmere with unparalleled lightness and comfort in all seasons.
The wool in this collection is sourced from ‘Mulgowan’ in the Traprock region of Queensland, owned and run by Clive and Margaret Smith. The ultrafine fibres are crafted into yarn exclusively for ICICLE by Südwolle Group. The yarn has a lustrous texture and is machine washable.
Garments from the ICICLE’s traceable Dew Wool Collection in a promotional photo by ICICLE.
The traceable Dew Wool Collection features outerwear pieces such as a trench coat, jacket, and down coat for everyday commuting or more adventurous travel. It uses the exclusive ‘Dew’ fabric supplied by Dino Filarte, the premium brand from Nanshan Fashion Sci-Tech Co, Ltd. In the collection, 17.5 micron wool is combined with silk using Optim technology in a chemical-free process to create the naturally water and wind resistant fabric with luxurious, voluminous texture while also being lightweight, breathable and machine washable.
The Dew Wool Collection can be traced back to select Australian properties including ‘Old Ripponhurst’ at Warrabkook in the Western District of Victoria, owned and run by David and Michelle Elsom with their daughters, Grace and Emily – see box below.
Co-founder and CEO of ICICLE, Mr Ye Shouzeng, said, “This project perfectly illustrates our unending search for the finest raw materials produced in the most responsible way.
“It has also inspired us to offer the first ICICLE Natural Way Award to both farms. This new global award recognises exceptional effort in the preservation of the environment through innovation … endorsing our founding ethos ‘a natural way of creating, a natural way of producing, a natural way of living’.”
The collection is available to purchase online and at ICICLE stores, which are located in China and France.
More information: www.icicle.com.cn
Awards presented at ‘Old Ripponhurst’, Warrabkook, Victoria
Emily, Grace, Michelle and David Elsom receiving ICICLE’s Natural Way Award from Co-founder and CEO of ICICLE, Mr Ye Shouzeng.
Some of the Elsoms’ Merinos on their ‘Old Ripponhurst’ property in Victoria.
The Elsoms, who supply wool used in ICICLE’s traceable Dew Wool Collection, run a mixed farming business comprising 4,500 sheep and 500 breeding cattle. The sheep enterprise includes a self-replacing Merino flock cutting an average of 5.5-6 kg of 16-18 micron wool. They annually produce 150-160 bales each year that is all sold at auction.
The Elsom family looks after their 850 hectares of land by rotating stock depending on the ground cover and not overgrazing near the waterways. They also plant shelter belts, which provide shade and wind breaks for their livestock. The Elsoms consider there is a good future for Australian Merino wool, due to the fibre being versatile enough to be used in different types of garments and the emergence of new markets for the fibre.
The Elsom family were the winners of this year’s Nanshan Wool Supremacy Award which is presented each year for the wool purchased by Nanshan that has the highest possible processing ability and quality. The Elsoms’ winning 27 bales of wool was selected from a pool of 1,102 farms that supplied ten bales or more to Nanshan.
In June, Nanshan and ICICLE representatives travelled to Australia to visit the Elsom family’s wool-growing property and present them with the Nanshan Wool Supremacy Award and also an ICICLE Natural Way Award which honours the exploration of a more advanced harmony between man and nature.
“These two awards showcase ICICLE and Nanshan’s ongoing support and appreciation for Australian woolgrowers. It is a clear indicator of the strong relationship that exists in our iconic wool industry between Australia and China,” said AWI CEO John Roberts.
This article appeared in the September 2024 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
