Cue, Country Road and Veronika Maine have expressed interest in a new traceable wool solution, following a successful pilot led by international manufacturers.
Vietnam-based Fashion Enterprise and R&T Industry have successfully completed phase one of applying FibreTrace on Australian Merino wool. The manufacturers are expected to launch the solution to market in early 2024, with the first pilot completed at spinning and the second pilot currently underway at the scourer.
Australian fashion retailers have already expressed interest in the traceable wool. Bulk production is slated to commence in October, with availability in stores for Winter 2024 by February.
The joint industry project involves The Woolmark Company alongside Fashion Enterprise, R&T Industry, Indorama Ventures and Garment Assembly. Woolmark sponsored Indorama for testing, while Indorama - a Woolmark-certified spinning expert based in Thailand - successfully applied the FibreTrace technology to wool tops.
Fashion Enterprise and R&T Industry commissioned the pilot and participated in the weaving and knitting processes, producing quality wool suiting fabric and fully fashioned knit yarns.
Approximately 200 kilograms of Australian Merino wool fibre underwent testing at Indorama, yielding “promising” results. The commercial pilot is set to involve 2.4 tons of Australian Merino wool fibre, exclusively focused on knitting yarn production.
With the second phase underway, Fashion Enterprise and R&T Industry are reportedly on track to provide a traceability solution for the entire supply chain, from Australian scouring to China top making, as well as top dying, yarn spinning, and garment knitting in Vietnam.
The wool tops are expected to be ready this month, followed by yarn production in August.
“The FibreTrace platform offers the perfect solution to tracing the textile and fashion supply chain from farm to consumers,” R&T Industry CEO fashion enterprise Rodney Thanh said.
“Not only are we proud to be the first to offer this solution in Vietnam but we are very excited to offer FibreTrace for both Australian Merino wool along with Good Earth Cotton regenerative cotton from Australia.”
Fashion Enterprise specialises in the production of raw and dyed yarn, knitted and woven/denim fabrics and garments. R&T Industries formed out of Fashion Enterprise with its tracing technology by FibreTrace.
The core of the FibreTrace technology is a patented luminescent pigment that is embedded in raw fibres and is traced, verified and audited in real-time at each step of the global textile supply chain through a handheld FibreTrace® Bluetooth Scanner.
FibreTrace can be used on cotton, wool, recycled polyester and other synthetics, responsible viscose, and linen, and is under research and development for use on leather and other bast fibres.