Launceston, Tasmania, June 3rd, 2023 – The Ermenegildo Zegna Group (“Zegna Group,” the “Group,” “Zegna,” or the “Company”) began sourcing Australian wool back in the early years of 1900. The inherent excellence and unique characteristics of this incredible natural fibre have allowed the Group to continue to perfect the beauty, the quality and the performance of its products. In particular, Australian superfine wool has been, and continues to be, key to creating many of the Group’s most precious fabrics and exclusive garments.
The Company was the first to believe in the importance of collaborating with the woolgrowers and the Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association (ASWGA) to further strengthen their recognition in the international arena. Importantly, for almost sixty years now, the Group have also supported trophies and awards that recognize the quality, performance, and innovation that Australian wool is known for around the world and across the industry.
60 years ago, the Ermenegildo Zegna Group was the first to establish its inaugural “Ermenegildo Zegna Perpetual Trophy” to award and incentivize woolgrowers to improve the quality of superfine merino and has consistently worked to celebrate the importance of this fibre. This competition is the oldest existing in the world of wool.
A second trophy, the “Vellus Aureum Trophy” followed almost 50 years later, in 2002 to celebrate the incredible advances made by Australian woolgrowers for absolute excellence, by benchmarking every year the finest woollen fleeces - measuring 13.9 microns and finer - in the wool production countries.
Today the company honoured Australia’s best woolgrowers by awarding the “Superfine Wool Trophy” and the “Vellus Aureum Trophy” during an exclusive celebration hosted by Paolo Zegna, Member of the Board of Directors of Ermenegildo Zegna Group, held during the 10th Annual Australian Superfine Wool Growers’ gathering, in the presence of representatives of the major institutions associated with the world of wool in Australia.
Both competitions continue to be intended to encourage and reward wool growers for their commitment to quality. The winning wool bales and fleeces are judged according to a strict set of criteria including fineness, style, strength, colour and evenness.
“Working with the best wool growers in the world and striving for excellence is of paramount importance for us, as we continue to align to the evolving cultural codes of the new generations and consumers more broadly. Our ambition and our responsibility is to continue to pursue excellence and invest in quality in a manner which is respectful to all of our stakeholders and the natural world, sharing best practice and knowledge with all our key partners such as the Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association”, commented Paolo Zegna, Member of the Board of Directors of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group.
“The Zegna Group Awards are a consolidated tradition in the history of wool, becoming more and more relevant over time. We hope this award becomes a catalyst for an even larger number of growers to participate and drive them to new heights. Our long journey with the Zegna Group covers multiple generations of growers. We will continue to work together to promote the excellence of this noble fibre,” added Mark Waters, the President of the Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association.
The winners of the “Vellus Aureum Trophy” this year were David and Susan Rowbottom (Rowensville, Victoria) with a new world record of an unprecedented 9.4 microns, together with Aaron and Rebecca Rowbottom (Myndarra, Victoria) and Danny and Megan Picker (Hillcreston Park, New South Wales) respectively 2nd and 3rd in the competition.
The 2023 Superfine Wool Trophy was won by Simon and Ann Louise Cameron (Kingston, Tasmania). The 2nd and 3rd place winners were Clive and Margaret Smith (Mulgowan, Queensland) and Danny and Megan Picker (Hillcreston Park, New South Wales) respectively.
