Iris & Wool’s historic collection
As founder and owner of knitwear brand Iris & Wool, Emily Riggs helps to promote the superior quality of wool produced in Australia, thereby supporting the country’s woolgrowers and rural areas.
Iris & Wool founder Emily Riggs wearing a garment from the brand’s new Provenance collection which includes wool sourced from the Riggs family’s Murkaby property at Burra in South Australia.
As founder and owner of knitwear brand Iris & Wool, Emily Riggs helps to promote the superior quality of wool produced in Australia, thereby supporting the country’s woolgrowers and rural areas.
Emily Riggs and her husband Tom live at Burra in the mid-north of South Australia where the family farms more than 30,000 hectares of mainly pastoral country and runs about 15,000 Merinos.
Emily launched the Iris & Wool knitwear brand in 2019 to showcase Australian Merino wool as the perfect fibre for apparel with a minimal environmental impact. Since then, the brand has grown from strength to strength to become well known across the country for producing timeless Merino wool designs of the highest quality for women, men and children.
Iris & Wool’s latest Woolmark-certified collection – aptly named ‘Provenance’ – heralds an exciting new chapter for the brand, with some of the collection’s wool sourced from the Riggs family’s own Murkaby property.
“Last year, our mill purchased at auction in Melbourne 128 bales of our Murkaby branded wool, some of which has been used in the latest Iris & Wool collection,” Emily explained.
“The Riggs family has been producing Merino wool at Murkaby for 150 years. The property has been in the Riggs family for six generations now, with our two kids Sam and Lucy being the sixth. The new collection is a very pleasing nod to the hard-working Riggs family and the beautiful wool they have produced over the years.”
Burra locals Felicity Stockman and Amelia Rasheed, with Emily Riggs, showcasing garments from the Iris & Wool new Provenance collection at the Elders SA Stud Merino Expo in March.
Iris & Wool had a hometown launch of the Provenance collection in Burra, with a fashion parade held in conjunction with AWI’s woolgrower dinner at the Elders SA Stud Merino Expo in March.
Emily is a big advocate of Australian wool, travelling to events and shows across the country and featuring in the media promoting Australian wool and her brand. In just the last year, she has featured in many high-profile publications including Country Style, Marie Claire and Sunday Life magazines, the front page of The Australian, and more.
“Having some of our own wool in the latest collection allows the Iris & Wool brand to even better educate consumers about the benefits, background and beauty of Australian Merino wool – one of the finest natural materials in the world – and the woolgrowers and local communities that the fibre supports,” Emily said.
In November, her commitment to rural Australia was officially recognised when, out of 120 nominated women, she won the 2022 Shine Awards which celebrate rural and regional women who make a real difference to their communities and industries.
More information: www.irisandwool.com
Wool showcased at WA’s Darkan Sheepfest
Steve Noa of Themerinopolo and Emily Riggs of Iris & Wool at Darkan Sheepfest. PHOTO: Caro Telfer, Photographer
AWI was a proud supporter in February of Darkan Sheepfest 2023 in the southern wheatbelt of Western Australia, which this year had a record crowd of more than 2,800 people. The event’s theme was ‘Putting Wool Back on the Table’ which highlighted how wool is at the forefront of the local agricultural industry in Darkan and the surrounding area.
With support from AWI, Emily Riggs of Iris & Wool travelled to Darkan Sheepfest as a special guest to deliver a keynote speech and shine a light on wool. Western Australia local Steve Noa of Themerinopolo, which produces a range of Woolmark-certified Australian Merino wool polo shirts, was also a special guest.
They shared their passion for wool and their personal stories of bringing wool to Australian consumers. Both animated and at times emotional, it made for a unique broadcast around the entire showgrounds.
In addition, AWI at Darkan Sheepfest supplied wool garments for display in the Sheepfest fashion show, supported the shearing and wool handling competitions, and showcased the AWI sheep delivery module with local engineering firm RW Engineering.
This article appeared in the June 2023 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
