The ultimate take-home message from the 85th IWTO Congress, the annual conference of the wool textile industry was - Opportunities for wool exist where they never have before. Stand-out sessions from among the more than 30 featured speakers emphasized the role of Generations Y and Z in creating demand for wool, as well as an often overlooked demographic: empty-nesters with the power to spend. Co-hosted by the Federation of Australian Wool Organisations (FAWO), more than 420 delegates from 25 countries attended the three-day event.

Among the featured speakers were Craig Vanderoef, Senior Director at adidas, Germany and Phil Dickinson, Founder and Creative Director of Some Ideas, UK, both back by popular demand, along with Ermenegildo Zegna CEO Paolo Zegna, Parlour X Founder/Owner Eva Galambos and Emerald Group CBDO Melinda O’Rourke who joined Australian fashion journalist Mitchell Oakley-Smith for the latest installation of the Woolmark-led Retail Forum on the last day of the Congress.

The intermix of supply, demand, upstream and downstream has been perfect, IWTO President Peter Ackroyd said of the Congress in his closing remarks.