The first edition of Wool Conclave was kicked off on Wednesday by the Woolmark Company along with the India Fashion Forum (IFF) to promote the wool industry in India with a focus on potential of wool as luxurious and natural fibre for fashion and lifestyle sector and how India and Australia can work in tandem to multiply and support wool.

Designer Ritu Kumar shared her thoughts on how Indian art and craft and its journey globally, along with few other members from different brands.

Designers Karishma Jamwal and Jimit Mistry presented a fashion show for Monte Carlo, Ambassador Shawls and OCM, highlighting merino wool's versatility and innate luxury. The event highlighted the Woolmark's 'Grown in Australia and Made in India' initiative.

Union textiles minister Smriti Irani said that the farm to fashion journey truly highlights how merino wool can beautifully be transformed into fashion pieces here in India. The use of wool as a natural fibre is encouraged and aimed to promote the Indian wool industry.

This event serves as the perfect platform for exploring the different opportunities available in the wool industry. This endeavour will spur growth of the Indian textile industry, added Irani.

Talking about the importance of wool, Elstoft said that it can prove to be a great opportunity for India and Australia to work together to mutually support wool. The conclave focuses on complete fiber to fashion story and about how Australian Merino wool can be transformed into garments in India.

Arti Gudal, country manager India, The Woolmark Company said that the Wool Conclave is a spectacular platform for wool enthusiasts. There is a lot of unexplored potential of this fibre in the Indian market, making it ideal for emerging designers to experiment with and discover.

Some of the Industry leaders like, CEO and country head of H&M India Janne Einola and vice president of Raymond Textiles Ram Bhatnagar, Anjana Reddy, CEO and Founder, Wrogn, also chaired discussions on the key drivers of wool's growth volumes, the wool market in India and wool's communication strategy. Adding a design perspective to this panel were international Woolmark prize winners Suket Dhir and Rahul Mishra, joined by leading designer Ritu Kumar.

This event allowed to promote the wool industry in India through global and local retailer inputs and highlighted the endless properties of this remarkable fibre.