THE natural beauty and pristine environment of Kangaroo Island will be celebrated through a joint venture between KI Wool and the Australian Wool Network.
A historic deal was signed at the Stamford Plaza in Adelaide on Thursday last week, which will help KI branded wool knitwear step on to the world stage.
The deal between AWN and KI Wool has been labelled DNA, the 'direct network advantage' wool supply program, and has been developed in conjunction with the company's knitwear manufacturing business Hysport.
The end product is the luxury knitwear label MerinoSnug, one of Hysport's premier clothing brands, with garments made from Australian Merino wool and New Zealand possum fur.
As well as the MerinoSnug brand, the swing tag and point of sale signage will identify the contribution of wool grown on KI.
Consumers can scan the QR reader on the garment's tag and learn more about the story behind wool produced in the region, with videos featuring island farmers. The knitwear is manufactured in Australia using state-of-the-art 'whole of garment' knitting machines.
AWN managing director John Colley said the MerinoSnug knitwear range was in high demand, particularly from the tourism and travel retail sector.
"At this stage we'll be buying 1500 bales annually from KI woolgrowers for the product, but I expect that to lift at least 10 per cent to 20pc next year," he said.
"We have large plans for the product, this is just the tip of the iceberg."
Products will be available from 230 retail outlets across Australia including airports, which gives access to international travellers and avoids a seasonal market downturn.
Plans are also in place to distribute the products through major airports and retailers throughout the world.
The DNA scheme developed by AWN is the first in Australia that allows woolgrowers to follow the journey of their wool from bale to retail.
KI Wool chairperson Christine Berry said the signing of the deal was the culmination of four years' work.
"We started on the concept of a grower to garment proposal in 2011 when 19 members came together to form KI Wool," she said.
"Eighteen of our members are woolgrowers, and the 19th is our local vet who supervises all our sheep health and genetic breeding work.
"We run 700,000 Merino and British-breed sheep on the island, which produces 3 million kilograms of wool per year.
"Our fleeces are of exceptional quality and range between 17.6 micron and 20.6M and many of our growers use Australia's top 10pc recorded Merino sires."
Ms Berry said the venture with AWN was a perfect fit for KI Wool.
"It's good to be in business with like-minded people, networking and acknowledging the challenges and benefits that come from working towards a shared goal," she said.
