Building demand for wool in sports and outdoor

An important focus of The Woolmark Company's product development and marketing strategy is to increase demand for Australian Merino wool in sports and outdoor markets.

The Woolmark Company is increasingly collaborating with leading manufacturers and brands in these markets. Many brands are now incorporating wool in their collections, but there is still further significant potential for growth in demand for the fibre.

A key opportunity to engage with brands in this sector is at the world's largest sports and outdoor trade show, ISPO in Munich, which resumed in November following a two-year COVID-related interruption. There were more than 1,700 exhibitors and 40,000 visitors from 170 countries.

Sustainability and innovation were the top topics at the trade show. It was clear to see there that within the sporting goods industry, the outdoor sector in particular is a pioneer when it comes to sustainability.

As a natural, biodegradable and renewable fibre, wool is the perfect choice for brands that are seeking to produce clothing that has a minimal impact on the environment. The fibre also has excellent performance properties – such as breathability, thermal regulation, elasticity and odour resistance – that make it ideal for these markets.

The Woolmark Company's stand at ISPO was built around The Wool Lab's ‘Endurance’ sports performance theme, supported by the tagline ‘Merino wool. The fibre that never stops.’

The Woolmark Company had a stand at the ISPO trade show that enabled the company's staff to promote the natural benefits of Australian wool to many product development and sourcing staff of leading brands. Many productive meetings were held.

AWI European Product Marketing Manager, Rebecca Kelley, says the conversations with the brands were positive and full of opportunity for wool.

"There was a lot of interest in wool from a wide range of brands: those considering wool for the first time and brands for which wool makes up a significant part of their offering that are looking for more innovation such as in outerwear and below the waist," Rebecca said.

"There was a lot of interest in wool from a wide range of brands."

– Rebecca Kelley, AWI European Product Marketing Manager

"Sustainability is an important consideration for brands and there's a drive towards the reduction and replacement of non-renewable materials. Wool had a strong presence overall at the show and we continue to make headway in centering wool as a strategic fibre in a less impactful sourcing strategy. Unfortunately, it is easy for some brands to get sucked into the ‘green-washing’ machine – for example recycled polyester and polyamide fibres are now commonplace and it's easy to put wool into the same paradigm forgetting that there are two very different starting points.

"We are continually working to educate the supply chain as well as consumers that synthetic fibres are made from oil, whereas wool is a 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable fibre. Our ‘Wear Wool, Not Fossil Fuel’ campaign helps raise awareness of this, with a lot of brands that we spoke to at ISPO referencing the campaign.

"While the positive shift in people's attitude towards health and fitness is helping build the sector, brands are feeling some anxiety at retail because the unsettled global economic climate means that consumers have less disposable income to make purchases. Long lead times are also problematic for brands; they prevent agility and the ability to capitalise on demand."

The Woolmark Company's stand at ISPO also included some of the latest wool innovations co-developed by the company's in-house technical team. Pictured is AWI European Product Marketing Manager, Rebecca Kelley, in discussions at ISPO.

Thanks to the continued development of new technologies and machinery, there are many opportunities for wool in sports and outdoor markets. The Woolmark Company used its stand at ISPO to promote some of the latest innovations with wool.

For example, the rise of seamless garment knitting and flat knitting technologies is helping brands use Merino wool to better serve functionality and lessen environmental impact in the supply chain, driving new and exciting opportunities.

"Whilst not new, these processes produce technical, functional garments in Merino wool apparel that have been gaining ground during the past few years and it has now reached a point where there are a greater number of options on the market," Rebecca said.

"Seamless and flat knitting technologies are being employed to manufacture not only base-layer garments, but an extensive range of mid- and outer-layer garments."

– Rebecca Kelley, AWI European Product Marketing Manager

With the versatility of knit, garments can be engineered into zones to cater for the different internal and external functional needs of the wearer. Hybrid garments that use a combination of knitted and woven substrates are also popular.

"New patterns have been developed that use body mapping – a design technique that enables different areas of the garment to be constructed to suit the shape, motion and functional requirements of the corresponding part of the body," Rebecca said.

Merino wool in footwear is an example of another area which is seeing growth, with the high-performance attributes of the fibre giving consumers the natural edge.

"The success of wool in footwear lies not only in the fibre's natural properties, but also in its ability to be constructed in a way that aids performance," Rebecca added.

The Woolmark Company's stand at ISPO was also used as the backdrop for the Woolmark Performance Challenge winners’ presentation.

Brands and retail buying teams viewing wool swatches in The Wool Lab ‘Endurance’ theme at The Woolmark Company's stand at ISPO.

A focal point of The Woolmark Company's stand at ISPO was the ‘Endurance’ theme of The Wool Lab sourcing guide, which was launched at the show.

This guide features 95 of the world's best commercially available technical fabrics and yarns for sports and performance, in particular: long-distance running, climbing, cycling and sailing. The range includes fabrics and yarns suitable for base-, mid- and outer-layers.

The ‘Endurance’ theme is one of six themes that comprise the full Spring/Summer 2024 season edition of The Wool Lab.

Since its inaugural edition nearly 12 years ago, The Wool Lab has become an important tool for the global textile industry and is helping to increase the demand and use of Australian wool globally.

"The Wool Lab is helping to inspire brands’ material strategies and forge strong relationships within the supply chain, thereby increasing the demand for wool."

– Julie Davies, AWI General Manager, Processing Innovation & Education Extension

"Each season, we reach out to The Woolmark Company's global supply chain network – quality-oriented spinners, knitters and weavers across the world – to source their latest fabric developments," explained AWI General Manager, Processing Innovation and Education Extension, Julie Davies.

"With this, we curate a sourcing guide with a selection of the best textile and yarn swatches, which can then be ordered by designers and buyers directly from the manufacturers through The Wool Lab."

The full Spring/Summer 2024 season edition of The Wool Lab contains six themes and a total of 336 swatches – see www.woolmark.com/thewoollab.

This article appeared in the March 2023 edition of AWI's Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.