In June 2024, Chinese clothing brand ICICLE and textile company Nanshan Zhishang Technology Co., Ltd awarded their ICICLE Nature Way and Nanshan Wool Supremacy Award to an Australian wool farming family, in recognition of their dedication to quality, sustainable wool production. International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) takes a look at this achievement and the Sino-Australian collaboration it represents.
Harmony Between Man and Nature
ICICLE and Nanshan Zhishang travelled to Australia to present the awards to the Elsom family, owners of a property in Warrabkook, Victoria, where they produce high-quality Merino wool. The ICICLE Nature Award honours the exploration of a more advanced harmony between man and nature. The Nanshan Wool Supremacy Award recognises the highest possible processing ability of wool purchased by Nanshan Zhishang.
The reason that the two companies decided to recognise the Elsom family and their farm, Old Ripponhurst, was that their wool was used in a collaboration called the DEW Wool Collection. This collection uses the exclusive “Dew” fabric supplied by Dino Filarte, a brand owned by Nanshan Zhishang. This innovative fabric combines Australian merino wool with silk in a patented, chemical-free process. The result is a fabric that is luxurious, voluminous, lightweight and breathable.
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“Environmentally-Friendly Fashions of High Quality Materials”
The DEW Collection is one of two collections created by ICICLE in collaboration with Australian Wool Innovation – the other being the Superfine Merino Wool Collection. Aside from high quality and excellent design, these two collections are also a testament traceability. Each garment has a QR code that enables the user to verify its authenticity and trace the origins of the wool used to create it. It is this traceability technology that enabled the collection to be traced all the way back to the Elsoms and Old Ripponhurst.
“The Nanshan Zhishang facility chooses to use 100% Australian Merino wool only. Our aim is to manufacture the highest quality worsted fabrics,” says Mr. Kevin Xing, Managing Director of the Nanshan Group in Australia. We must endeavour to source the best raw materials. Australian wool growers fully meet that need, so we wished to create an award for them for their commitment to growing Merino.” The Nashan wool fabrics are ultimately transformed into men’s and women’s suiting and premium worsted garments on site at Longkou, Shandong China as the operation is fully vertical.
Mr Ye Shouzeng, president of ICCF Group, co-founder and CEO of ICICLE, states that “the ICCF Group is committed to providing the world with environmentally friendly fashions of high-quality materials.”
For their part, Australian Wool Innovation salutes both the collaboration and the awards as worthy recognitions of Chinese-Australian co-operation. “The awards showcase ICICLE and Nanshan’s ongoing support and appreciation for Australian woolgrowers,” says CEO Mr. John Roberts. “It is a true indicator of the strong relationship that exists in our iconic wool industry between Australia and China.”
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