Ermenegildo Zegna fine fleece competitions open for 2022

President of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, Paolo Zegna, with the winners of the 2020 Vellus Aureum Trophy, David and Susan Rowbottom, St Helens, Victoria.

The prestigious Ermenegildo Zegna fleece competitions have opened for entries for 2022, marking the return of the awards following a hiatus due to the impacts of COVID-19.

The Superfine Wool Trophy and the Vellus Aureum Trophy celebrate Australia's best superfine and ultrafine wool, supporting growers in their quest to produce the finest fleeces.

ASWGA president Danny Picker said it was great to see the two competitions back on after a year's hiatus.

"It's fantastic to have Count Zegna putting the awards back on again, this is one of the best accolades that a superfine wool producer can receive," Mr Picker said.

"Hopefully Australian wool growers take the opportunity to enter in these wonderful awards again."

In the competition details document, Ermenegildo Zegna chairman Paolo Zegna said they had decided to re-launch the two wool trophies, which have only ever been ever been interrupted in 2009 and 2021.

"Many things have changed because of the pandemic, and many changes are still to come with regards to our way of living, travelling, and relating to each other," he said.

"These changes have also impacted the way we dress, now that our "public lives" have become our "private lives" and vice versa.

"Work from home has accelerated a trend that was already emerging before this crisis, favoring more informal, casual clothing without compromising on quality and sustainability.

"At Zegna, quality is one of our most fundamental values, in terms of both our finished products and our raw materials.

"Zegna's relationships with woolgrowers, the ASWGA, and Australia, which date back over 50 years, are now more fundamental than ever.

"The fineness of the wool we use, as well as the durability, color, and uniformity of the fibers, continue to play a starring role in the way we create our products."

The Ermenegildo Zegna Awards, started in Tasmania in 1963 when the first Ermenegildo Zegna Perpetual Trophy was presented.

In 1980, Australian Superfine Wool Growers Association and Zegna launched the Superfine Wool Trophy with a second competition, called the Ermenegildo Zegna Vellus Aureum Trophy, introduced in 2002.

Entries for both awards close on November 15, 2021.

More information is available via the ASWGA website.