The fashion house of Missoni has been synonymous with wool since the brand first came about through Rosa and Ottavio Missioni founded the brand in 1953. Now their brand ambassador and the brands accessories and swimwear designer (not to mention granddaughter) Margherita Maccapani Missoni has been announced as an ambassador for Merino Wool in a testimonial for Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), a non-profit company owned by over 30,000 Australian wool growers.
Showing off her stunning looks in a Missoni Pre-Fall 2011 dress, Margherita Missoni will also be joined in the ‘Merino – No Finer Feeling’ campaign with Alessandro Benetton, Executive Deputy Chairman of the Benetton Group.
Rob Langhtry, Head of Global Strategy and Marketing at AWI/Woolmark International, explains “We really want to bring Merino and wool into the 21st century and position it as a contemporary and fashionable fibre, and this campaign, collaborating with Margherita and Alessandro, clearly communicates that.”
We all love wrapping ourselves in warm wools in the colder months of the year, and Margherita is quoted as saying that “Merino wool makes me feel at home” on her campaign image.
AWI hope that this new campaign communicates to a new generation of consumers that Merino wool is natural, biodegradable and renewable. And that while disposable fashion is fun, there is more benefits than a cheap fashion fix with synthetic materials.
The AWI has come under fire in the past few years for the common practice of mulesing Merino sheep to reduce the incident of flystrike. PETA’s campaign against Merino wool saw the likes of Gap Inc, Nordstrom, H&M and Zara announcing that they were no longer going to stock Merino products. But recently new strains of Merinos have been bred that don’t require mulesing.
