New wool applications for sports and outdoor
From Merino wool blended with marine waste, to glucose-releasing technology, this year’s Woolmark Performance Challenge finalists developed innovative new uses for Merino wool applicable to the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team.
Woolmark Performance Challenge – since program launch
- 6,900+ tertiary students involved
- 325+ universities in 30 countries
- 1,350+ innovation ideas submitted
Since its launch in 2018, the Woolmark Performance Challenge has been run by AWI as an annual competition for tertiary students from across the world to develop innovative new product applications for Merino wool within the sports and outdoor market.
“The Woolmark Performance Challenge has cemented its rightful place as the world’s leading ideas platform for the performance-wear market, harnessing ground-breaking design with the unique natural properties of Australian Merino wool,” said AWI CEO John Roberts.
“Unlike other competitions which are based solely on design aesthetics, the Woolmark Performance Challenge has asked students to delve into fibre science and garment technology. During the past six years, the program has involved nearly 7,000 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.”
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 and French outdoor and sporting goods company Salomon.
In 2023, the partner was the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team, the Italian challenger in the iconic America’s Cup sailing race.
The 2023 competition
For the 2023 Woolmark Performance Challenge, students designed wool innovations suitable for the uniforms of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team competing in the America’s Cup.
For the 2023 competition, students were challenged to develop bold, game-changing innovations that reinvent the uniforms of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team.
All entries to the competition must have used a minimum of 50% Merino wool within their product composition, paired only with natural or biodegradable fibres.
A key component of the Woolmark Performance Challenge has been to educate students about Merino wool. Through a series of webinars by industry experts and sportspeople, AWI has educated participating students about the attributes and benefits of the fibre – to not only arm them with information to assist in their competition entry, but to also encourage and inspire them to think about wool in their future careers.
In 2023, there were more than 120 entries from students at 36 universities in 18 countries. From these entries, five tertiary students were selected as finalists. Each of the finalists received mentoring from industry heavyweights to accelerate their concepts, enhance their skills as creative thinkers, and provide real-world advice on the practicalities of innovating for the textiles and apparel industry.
Innovative winning products
The five finalists of the 2023 Woolmark Performance Challenge – Edoardo Vedelago (Italy), Daniel Carhuff (USA), Anri Amagasa (Japan), Joon Han (South Korea) and Aeryk Catipon (USA) – flanked by members of the Italian sailing team Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, Romano Battisti and Bruno Rosetti.
The winners of the 2023 competition and all the finalists’ innovative concepts were announced in November at the ISPO sporting and outdoor goods trade show in Munich, Germany.
The competition awards the winners with prizes including industry internships and ongoing training support, plus the opportunity to sell their idea to AWI or that year’s competition partner.
Winner – Internship at Prada Style Department: Merino-Marine Tex™
Winner Joon Han from South Korea.
Korean student Joon Han was deemed to have developed the most innovative design and won an internship at Prada Style Department. Joon developed an environmentally focussed product called Merino-Marine Tex™ that combines the natural benefits of Merino wool blended with naturally sourced fibres from marine waste.
Using nanotechnology and a unique dual-mesh structure, Merino-Marine Tex™ explores a comprehensive process from the filament spinning stage through to nano-finishing and fabric structure, to align with the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli team’s focus on protecting marine environments.
Joon Han, is a student of textile and fashion design at Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea.
Research bursary winner: VVULCAN composite rubber
Winner Daniel Carhuff from the USA.
Daniel Carhuff, a student studying Master of Science in Sports Product Design at the University of Oregon received a Woolmark Research Bursary for his VVULCAN product which was deemed to be the best research-led proposal with most potential for development.
Developing a family of composite materials to replace traditional plastic and rubber, the VVULCAN innovation seeks to support the performance and safety of the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team while eliminating virgin rubber, plastic and neoprene usage. Harnessing Merino wool/rubber blends to create outsoles with greater grip in wet conditions, the VVULCAN family of composite rubbers allow for softer, more breathable seam tape as well as lighter and more ecologically considerate zipper pulls, overlays and trim pieces.
Other finalists
Aeryk Catipon, University of Oregan, USA
Aeryk developed Glycoreact, a product that harnesses the unique properties of Australian Merino wool to provide direct muscle energy in response to an athlete’s activity intensity. Glycoreact combines nano-infused glucose microcapsules and optical nano sensors for transdermal glucose transfer, releasing glucose into an athlete’s circulatory system to provide fuel and swift recovery when athletes need it most.
Anri Amagasa, Professional Institute of International Fashion, Japan
Using colour-changing dyes, Anri’s design focuses on health, efficiency and fashion. The colour changing system feature of the design utilises temperature to indicate training efficiency or the need for medical support, alongside maintaining an elegant aesthetic for the Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli sailing team.
Edoardo Vedelago, IED Istituto Europeo Di Design, Milan, Italy
Edoardo innovated the sailing team’s training uniforms by introducing far infrared (FIR) technology and microencapsulation technology to release the astaxanthin antioxidant for wearers.
More information: www.woolmarkchallenge.com
This article appeared in the March 2024 edition of AWI’s Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
