Armidale's iconic woolshed at Deeargee Station lights up for Fleece to Fashion gala

ACM went behind the scenes on Thursday to meet some of the people involved in turning this spectacular 150 year old woolshed into a fashion fiesta, allowing emerging fashion designers to showcase their wares using merino wool fabrics.

The designs will be paraded before 350 guests literally seated in the pens of Deeargee woolshed, as local models from the Armidale area showcase wool fashion trends up high on a purpose-built catwalk down the race of the sheep pens.

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Deeargee is known for producing some of Australia's finest wool and is home to a unique, octagonally-shaped woolshed built in 1872 to replace an earlier shearing shed that had been destroyed by fire.

The property is privately owned and operated and closed to the public, yet will open its gates to host the prominent wool fashion event this May.

"With our event being held in a woolshed, we are showcasing 'fleece to fashion' in its purest form," said Fleece to Fashion chairman, Lach Fulloon, Cressbrook Merinos, Armidale.

"With merino sheep amongst the guests and woollen garments simultaneously parading the catwalk - models will literally walk the race in the back pens of Deeargee Woolshed.

"It will be a sight to be seen."

Fleece to Fashion will be one of the first large-scale, formal events to return to the region following the Covid-19 pandemic, attracting fashion design entries from Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Mildura, Young, as well as the local New England region.

Liz Foster has been managing the event (in various forms) for 35 years.

She says it provides the New England region with a significant economic injection, attracting several hundred guests to the area for a weekend or longer.

"Emerging and established wool fashion designers, wool industry figureheads and services providers, stud growers, and tourists will all gather for the one-time opportunity to attend the Gala Awards at Deeargee Station inside the privately-owned and run woolshed which remains operational today," Ms Foster said.

"After a three-year build-up due to Covid-19 cancellations, the 2022 Fleece to Fashion Gala Awards is a long-awaited gathering for wool producers, fashion designers, the New England community, and wool industry stakeholders."

The 2022 wool fashion collection has been judged by renowned Australian fashion designers Akira Isogawa, former designer for RM Williams and Country Road Jonathan Ward, and fashion journalist and media personality Melissa Hoyer, who will also conduct the Master of Ceremonies for the Awards.

Judges flew to Armidale last weekend to judge the 2022 submissions and indicated this year's quality is the best they'd seen in the competition to date.

Attractive prize money is on offer, including the Supreme Award valued at $5,000.

A bespoke design internship is offered by fashion icon Akira Isokawa who personally selects one successful entrant at the Gala Awards, providing them the opportunity to work for a three-month period directly under Akira himself at his studio in Sydney.

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