2025 A Night of Creativity and Style
NEW ENGLAND WELCOMES AN EVENING OF INNOVATIVE FASHION
The 2025 Fleece to Fashion Gala Parade, held on Saturday 15 November at CSIRO Chiswick in Armidale/Uralla, showcased an inspiring collection of Merino wool designs from emerging, established, and open-category designers across Australia.
Cash prizes were awarded across multiple categories, with the prestigious Supreme Award offering an all-expenses-paid industry immersion with Woolmark — including return flights, accommodation, a daily stipend, and a bespoke international program designed to deepen the winner’s understanding of the global wool supply chain.
The awards were presented by this year’s esteemed judging panel: Brenda McGahan, Trustee of the Australian Wool Education Trust and former CEO of Woolmark and AWI; Jonathan Lobban, Head of Brand at M.J. Bale; and Julie Schaefer, long-time Fleece to Fashion contributor and past entrant.
The 2025 winners are:
SUPREME AWARD (Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and Woolmark)
Skyla Wedd - Whitehouse Institute of Design
DEVELOPING DESIGNER
In the SECONDARY SCHOOL category:
First Prize - Amalie Brown - TAFE NSW Newcastle
Encouragement - Claudia Kirkton - The Armidale School
EMERGING DESIGNER
In the TERTIARY STUDENT category:
First Prize - Skyla Wedd - Whitehouse Institute of Design
Encouragement - John Klift - Whitehouse Institute of Design
ESTABLISHED DESIGNERS
In the OPEN category:
First Prize - Laurel Judd
First Prize - Laurel Judd
First Prize - Jo-Anne Barr
Encouragement - Judy Bond
Running for over 40 years, Fleece to Fashion brings together the farming and fashion communities to celebrate wool. We couldn’t do it without the continued support of local and national sponsors.
Fleece to Fashion is generously supported by Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) | Woolmark and a raft of local businesses and wool growers, with ACEN Australia as a major sponsor, alongside Roberts + Morrow, Regional Australia Bank, Invest Blue, Moin Moris Schaefer, Superair, Prue Melville, Charlie and Lucie Street, Winterbourne Pastoral, Rydges Hotel Armidale and MJ Bale.