M.J. Bale will commence a four-month activation to cycle its world-first zero-emission wool out of Kingston farm in Tasmania, before taking it across Bass Strait in an engineless boat to Geelong.
From Geelong, the wool will travel through various artisan hands in regional Victoria to be made into a garment the brand anticipates will have the lightest carbon footprint in commercial Australian fashion.
The activation is part of the brand's Winter 2022 campaign, ‘The Gentle Men’, which features Wallaby Andrew Kellaway as ambassador.
The collection includes suits woven from superfine merino wool produced entirely on the carbon positive Kingston farm.
Sustainable Italian weaving partners, the Loro Piana textile mill and centuries-old Vitale Barberis Canonico, have collaborated with the brand on fabrics in Australian merino wool, wool-cashmere, and wool-silk-linen blends.
Hero winter items are velvet jackets in scarlet red, deep navy and black and a sky blue-khaki-red check tartan suit in cotton corduroy.
The camel-coloured 'Cardigani' is a soft double-breasted blazer with peak lapels, woven in Italy from a stretch woollen cloth.
Meanwhile, the sand-grey woollen Martello suit with peak lapels and matching double-breasted waistcoat is a 1930s throwback.
New to the brand are vintage Ivy League-style corduroy blazers with peak lapels and woven-in-Italy coats crafted from double-faced melton wool in blue-on-navy and a 2-in-1 reversible design in grey/red.
In addition to “single-source” turtleneck and long-sleeve polo knits created from wool produced entirely at Ashby farm in Ross, Tasmania, M.J. Bale has zips, wool-cashmere cable knits and wool-cashmere crews in purple, coral and cherry.
M.J. Bale is an Australian-owned gentleman’s clothier that specialises in “garments of integrity” crafted from sustainable natural fibres, particularly Australian merino wool.
The brand creates single-source merino wool suits with its conservationist partner farm, Kingston, and is the first Australian fashion brand certified 100% Carbon Neutral for both organisation and products.