“We believe Australian Merino wool is the most naturally inspiring fibre on the planet. No other fibre can rival Merino wool for its versatility. This entire campaign therefore is about inspiration. Inspiring women, inspiring designers: an inspired fibre,” said Kelly Coffey, Senior Business Development Manager, AWI.
Whilst travelling in Australia the designers will be blogging about their experience, uploading photographs and film footage about all they are learning. The television documentary will be launched in December 2011, at which time "The Wool Lab” collections will be made available in the stores of participating brand partners, in time for the peak selling season leading up to Chinese New Year in late January. Additionally AWI will create a 'pop up store' in Shanghai in which the products of all brand partners will be available for purchase by Chinese consumers.
“We are extremely pleased to confirm that all participating brands have signed on to an increase of their Australian Merino wool consumption of 5% in year one and 30% within three years, which is extremely positive growth in a high price market segment which wool has struggled to break into for some thirty years,” explained Stuart McCullough, Chief Executive Officer, AWI. “At the same time we will create an engaging, entertaining program that educates millions of Chinese women in the core assertion of our China Luxury Market Campaign: that to dress with style is to dress with Australian Merino wool.”
Background Information - China Luxury Market:
• China is the world's second largest luxury market. Consuming 27.5% of global luxury purchases the country is forecast to be the largest luxury market in the world by 2015
• According to McKinsey & Co, in 2010 Chinese consumers spent USD15 billion on luxury products
• Female purchases accounted for 50% of this. Growth in women's luxury spending increased by 22% between 2008 and 2010, whereas male spending increased only by 10%
• China is home to eleven of the world's 20 richest self-made women
• 153 female yuan billionaires (in US currency, around $150 million)
• Female college graduates in China are more motivated than their Western counterparts to seek management positions: 76 percent of Chinese female graduates say they aspire to management positions, while only 52 percent of U.S. female graduates say the same
Australian Wool Innovation Limited
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