The Wool Lab: Seven themes for A/W 2012-13

The Wool Lab, through its intense research has identified seven trends inspired from fashion and lifestyles, the world of design, pop culture and some other fields for Autumn/Winter 2012-13. Each theme is expressed by a selection of wool

fabrics and yarns. The Wool Lab also contains precious archive pieces, showing inspired woollen productions of the past, to be rediscovered and, perhaps, reproduced today, with a contemporary twist The seven themes from Wool Lab are:

The

Tweed Run: This is the classic, traditional tweed, full of charm and style, in its most contemporary versions: lighter and softer, in colors and patterns inspired by typical British outerwear. Shetland yarns are mixed here with the softest Merino wool. By choosing to open The Wool Lab with the Tweed Run trend, Woolmark makes a statement about wool and the importance of celebrating and protecting the great heritage of this precious and versatile fiber. The Tweed Run expresses a trend that is not only about fashion, but involves lifestyle, design and culture. Foulé and flannel, classic patterns such as twill and half twill, come together with unexpected patchwork effects.

Library: Library expresses the precise and clean elegance of the traditional American college of the Ivy League, attended by the golden boys and girls of the high society. In terms of wool, it is a selection of high quality fabrics and yarns, of fine and extra fine Merino wool, with a special attention for the most refined jersey and knitwear. The main nuances are grey, navy blue, camel, black and white with accents of intense colors such as red, Boudreaux, royal blue and green.

Pure: This represents the wide themes of ecology and sustainability, in all their textile expressions highlighting romantic accents. A journey in which wool connects with other animal fibers, such as angora, camel, cashmere, mohair, and vegetable materials, such as linen, cotton. The yarns and fabrics of the Pure trend privilege natural colors and shadows, and soft and voluminous effects, like degrade spinning effects and bouclé, bouclé fur, piquet and matelassé effects. Pure is also a celebration of handmade knit crochet and artisanal wool lace, including at the same time tracks of light Foulé and felt.

Genoa’s Harbour: Inspired by people living and working in open air. It expresses the new way of work and utility wear in all the shadows of Blue, Grey and Military Green, and Denim and Denim effects. Yarns are mainly Flammé, Mouliné and Jaspé, with strong mélange effects, inspired by the traditional knitwear pieces of French and Italian sailors and maritime workers. The contemporary and fashionable twist is given by the unexpected fineness and
light-weight of yarns and knit included in the theme.

Hermitage: This is the new folk, collecting stimuli from the Navajo aesthetic, and from the handmade and artisanal textiles produced in different cultures and countries. Big names of fashion such as Ralph Lauren and Prada have explored this area. The first has celebrated the aesthetic of the American Indians in its latest collections, the second started a global project to re-discover and support local textile productions in various regions of the world. Colored, always surprising, embracing freedom of expression, the theme is basically divided in two: checks and ethno, with a great profusion of fancies and colors.

Sculptured: The trend is greatly about knitwear and fabrics boasting special effects and rich texture, such as embossed surfaces, Jacquard, Piquet, Plissé, Clean bouclé etc. The heart of the trend is a great passion for the most refined and impactful yarns, with a selection of the most beautiful fries, bouclé, twisted and worsted brilliant new wool. Sophisticated and feminine, the trend has recently been seen on the catwalk of big fashion names, such as Chanel, Prada and Martin Margelia.

Limited Edition: This includes fabrics and yarns of the most elegant and precious Merino wool in the world. A niche production in extra and super-fine Merino wool, created by premium textile brands for very special target consumers.