Vellus Aureum winners Tim Davis and Julieanne Hayden.

NEW Zealand ultrafine wool grower Tim Davis of Long Acre Station has won the prestigious Zegna Vellus Aureum award with a 2.4 kilogram 11.6 micron fleece.

New South Wales growers David and Angie Waters from Tarrangower Merinos at Hillgrove placed second with a 2.55kg 12.5 micron fleece, and third place went to W.I & J.A Harris ‘Moss Rose’, Uralla, NSW, with a 2kg 11.6 micron fleece.

The awards are run annually by the leading Italian luxury fashion house, that specializes in high-end menswear. The winning wool bales and fleeces are judged according to a strict set of criteria, including fineness, style, strength, colour and evenness.

The Vellus Aureum judging criteria this year was adjusted to effectively encourage heavier fleeces under the micron upper limit of 12.9 microns. The minimum weight for entries was increased from 750 grams to a kilogram.

The 2026 Wool Trophy for a bale of wool was won by the Waters’ Tarrangower Merinos flock with a 14.9 micron entry weighing about 120kgs, and with a yield of 76.1 percent and textile strength of 49 Newtons/kilotex. The bale scored 92.1 points out of a possible 100 points after being assessed on micron yield, strength, conformity of length, trueness to type, evenness and excellence.

Second place in the wool trophy went to Andrew, Penny, and Ed Hundy of ‘Windradeen’, Pyramul,  NSW with a 14.9 micron bale that yielded 76.3pc and a tensile strength of 44N/kt. Tasmanian growers Ann Louise and Simon Cameron from Kingston placed third with a 14.7 micron bales that yielded 77.8pc and with a tensile strength of 48N/kt.

The search for curve benders

David Waters said producing ultrafine Merino wool is not as easy as it might seem or is made out to be. He said only a small minority of growers are able to produce wool under 13 micron in commercial quantities.

“In the search for that, you are going to find curve-benders (sheep) that carry a bit of (fleece) weight as well as a low micron, and they’re like a piece of gold.

“We have curve benders in our ewes, we’re not ET-ing (embryo transfer) them as yet, but I think it is not far away.”

The winning Waters family at the Zegna awards, from left, Sarah, Angie, David and Bella.

The ‘curve-benders’ he referred to are sheep able to produce ultrafine fibre at above average fleece weights under commercial paddock conditions.

Zegna honoured Australia and New Zealand’s best wool growers by awarding the Wool Trophy and the Vellus Aureum Trophy during an exclusive celebration at Bennelong, the iconic restaurant at the Sydney Opera House. The evening was hosted by Paolo Zegna, a third generation member of the Zegna family and Ermenegildo Zegna Group director, and Giovanni Schneider, a fourth generation member of the family and a natural fibres expert.

“This moment unites us in celebration, honouring the legacy built while welcoming the next generation of wool growers and cultivating a dialogue that encourages the exchange of ideas, grounded in a shared dedication to wool and enriched by fresh perspectives and renewed energy,” Mr Zegna said.

“This year’s edition has been a true celebration of continuity and change, highlighted by the return of New Zealand growers and the inspiring rise of next generation wool growers.

“The success of Vellus Aureum trophy winner Tim Davis from New Zealand is a powerful testament to the excellence we all share, further enriching the competition and uniting the wool growing community,” he said.

Mr Zegna said he was honoured after more than 45 years of stewardship, to pass the baton on to Mr Schneider “whose vision and expertise will carry this to even greater heights.”

“One thing that remains constant is our heartfelt gratitude to all the wool growers who have stood alongside us, and we look forward to continuing this remarkable journey together,” Mr Zegna said.

Zegna said the inherent excellence and unique characteristics of this incredible natural fibre have allowed it to continue to perfect the beauty, quality, and performance of its products. Wool has always been, and continues to be, key to creating many of the brand’s most precious fabrics and exclusive garments, the company said i9n a media release.