Seeing wool through new eyes

Six Italian postgraduate students visiting Australia as part of a global textile study program discovered how meeting woolgrowers could influence their future work with the fibre.

For aspiring designer Alba Beatrice Habe, seeing Merino sheep and meeting the people behind the fibre brought a new dimension to her work. Having studied fashion design and used wool in projects, she could now connect the material with its origins.

“So, design with a purpose. And the purpose is being connected with the origin,” Alba said.

That connection was a recurring theme during the group’s September 2026 visit, undertaken as part of the Biella Master of Noble Fibres program.

Through farm visits, wool auctions and sessions with AWI and Woolmark staff, the students explored the work behind Australian wool and how that knowledge might influence their careers.

Putting people behind the fibre

Alba said learning about Woolmark’s activities before visiting farms helped her better understand the industry. Meeting growers and experiencing the farming environment then gave her a greater sense of responsibility as a designer.

For fellow student Giulia Andrea Vignudelli Guidotti, known as Andrea, the visit brought purpose to an existing interest in knitwear development and programming knitting machines.

She wanted her future work to contribute to the people and communities behind the products she helped create. Meeting those people made that ambition more tangible.

“It’s just literally getting to know people that work in the industry. It feels more real,” Andrea said.

Asia Sallustro, who wants to become a textile designer, was struck by the growers’ passion and the amount of work involved in producing wool. Seeing the raw material firsthand helped her think about how she could use it in yarns and textiles.

The visit included Thalabah Merino Stud at Laggan, NSW, where the students connected their studies with a working wool-growing enterprise.

For growers, these exchanges provide an opportunity to explain their work directly to people preparing for careers further along the supply chain.

Understanding the whole journey

The Australian experience also took the students beyond the farm, with auctions offering an insight into how wool is traded.

Andrea singled out the opportunity to attend auctions as a particularly valuable part of the program. Asia also found the auction environment memorable, while Gaia Ruggeri said it helped her better understand the wool market.

Gaia was impressed by the care growers put into wool quality and animal health. Meeting staff working in sustainability, marketing and operations also highlighted the importance of collaboration across the industry.

She said seeing the process firsthand exceeded her expectations and reinforced her interest in a career working with raw materials.

Davide Scarano valued learning about wool’s place in Australia’s heritage and economy, something he felt was difficult to fully appreciate from overseas. Seeing growers alongside other industry roles helped him understand how the different parts fitted together.

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Taking the experience into industry

For Beatrice Mazzini, the relevance was immediate: she was preparing to begin a supply chain position with Italian wool textile company REDA.

Learning about Australian Merino wool, Woolmark certification and traceability gave her context for that next step. She also welcomed the opportunity to explore the technology and research behind textiles.

“I definitely think that this is a fundamental experience for me,” Beatrice said.

Based in Biella, an Italian region renowned for high-quality textiles, the scholarship-supported, 13-month postgraduate program prepares future managers for the textile and clothing industry. Students combine theoretical learning with placements in businesses in Italy and overseas, following the supply chain from raw fibre through spinning, weaving and garment manufacture to retail. Visits to Australian woolgrowers give them firsthand insight into the production decisions behind the fibre they will work with.

Woolmark has supported Australian visits by Biella Master students since 1989, helping successive groups understand where their raw material begins.

For this group, the experience brought different ambitions into focus: designing textiles, developing knitwear, working with raw materials and managing supply chains.

Their reflections show the value of meeting growers firsthand. As they move into textile businesses, they take with them an understanding of the skill, care and people behind Australian wool.

This article appeared in the AWI Woolgrower Newsletter October 2026. Reproduction of the article is encouraged and should be attributed as follows: This article was first published in the AWI Woolgrower Newsletter. 

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