THE winner of the menswear section of the 2015-16 International Woolmark Prize Australian regional final has strong ties with SA, having grown up on a farm north of Adelaide.
Patrick Johnson divides his time between Manhattan in the United States and Palm Beach in NSW with his business P Johnson Tailors.
The Woolmark prize was a fitting win for the fashion designer who has worked with wool for a long time.
"I grew up on a 4000-hectare cattle and sheep property called Buckland Park near Two Wells, with my mother and stepfather. While there were cattle on the property, the real focus was on sheep and wool production," Mr Johnson said.
"My father also had two properties, down at Cape Jervis and Victor Harbor, but they were more for prime lamb production."
Mr Johnson gained a Bachelor of Agricultural Science degree at the University of Adelaide's Waite campus, majoring in oenology.
After completing his degree, he decided to travelled overseas but his career path went in a new direction.
He completed a fashion design course in Britain and ended-up working for an English tailor for seven years.
"Right from the start, I loved tailoring and working with wool," he said.
Mr Johnson set up his own business eight years ago.
P Johnson Tailors has showrooms across Australia, in Manhattan, London and Singapore.
"It started off just me driving across Australia, visiting clients along the way," he said.
"Eight years later, we have 30 staff in Australia."
Mr Johnson focuses on lightness in his suiting.
"I work with cotton and linen, but I find wool so surprisingly versatile," he said.
He was "excited" by developments in the wool industry.
"Woolmark Company managing director Stuart McCullough showed me a new wool the CSIRO has developed," he said.
"It's a completely water-resistant wool without any bonding on the underside.
"To me, that's phenomenal –that you could make a whole suit completely waterproof with no bonding so it's completely breathable."
