By Margaret Lewis

Scientists at Fashion Week?!? A team of AgResearch textile scientists [I met some of them in the queue] teamed up with ten designers to create a runway show highlighting garments from revolutionary fabrics based on merino wool. AgResearch Designer Collection - Anna Stretton, Cybele, Jaeha, Jimmy D, Hailwood, Salasai, Sera Lilly, sherieyvonne, Stitch Ministry and twentysevennames."By Margaret Lewis

Scientists at Fashion Week?!? A team of AgResearch textile scientists [I met some of them in the queue] teamed up with ten designers to create a runway show highlighting garments from revolutionary fabrics based on merino wool. AgResearch Designer Collection - Anna Stretton, Cybele, Jaeha, Jimmy D, Hailwood, Salasai, Sera Lilly, sherieyvonne, Stitch Ministry and twentysevennames."Standouts in the show were Jimmy D's black cable knit outfit and a black coat by Cybele with an iridescence similar to beetle's wings and Annah Stretton chose an ultra fine merino yarn to create her green Chanel-inspired twinset made from ultra fine merino (pictured).

The point of the venture is to attract the attention of potential commercial partners to put the fabrics into commercial production. Fingers crossed someone picks up the license.

About the fabrics

The AgResearch developed fabrics are:

* Natural Easy Care 100% wool shirting and suiting fabrics.
A shirt or a suit from this fabric can be thrown in the washing machine and tumble dried. That's a world first for a wool suit - and it needs no chemicals to stop it shrinking. A new spinning technology allows these fabrics to be made in much lighter weights offering the superior comfort and drape of wool in cool summer fabrics.

* Non-Woven Windproof Fleece.
Another world-first. It carries moisture out through the fabric to keep you dry - yet it blocks the wind coming in. No other wool fabric can do both - let moisture pass through it while blocking wind coming in. Other fabrics such as ski parkas do this by having gussets inserted in them - there's no need for that with this fabric.

* Stab-resistant and flame resistant fabric.
The fabric will resist puncture or knife penetration, protect from flames, is lightweight, comfortable to wear and has the benefits of the breathability and comfort of wool as well as flame resistance. The fabric is made from a knitted Vectran base fabric (a non-cut, ultra high strength liquid crystal polymer) and combined with short wool fibre in a novel knitted construction developed by AgResearch.

* Vintage Merino.
This fabric has an aged and washed look, achieved through the innovative use of novel dyeing technology.

* Tonal dyeing.
When placed in a one colour dye bath the fabric automatically dyes itself to two tonal colours - one lighter and one darker.

* Next-to-Skin fabric.
Novel low-twist superfine merino wool yarn has all the benefits of wool but the softness of cotton and is finer than any other natural fabric on the market. It is perfect for next-to-skin apparel (underwear, knitted jersey etc) with greater softness, warmth and comfort properties than conventional wool counterparts, and moreover it is quick to dry.

* Novel Knit jacketing.
An innovative knit construction with versatile pattering options, which is cost effective to reproduce. Offers a wide range of applications from casual wear to street wear to formal wear.

Being there

This was a whole different experience as not only were the fashionistas there but SAFE* turned up outside the main Fashion Week entrance dressed as animals [chicken head and body with pigs trotters]. They were there to protest the fact that AgResearch is applying to develop genetically modified animals in New Zealand.

AgResearch, on the other hand, were there to show garments made by New Zealand designers using the latest fabrics AgResearch has developed. The protest caused a few delays for security but nothing compared to the delays at some other shows.

*SAFE - Saving Animals From Exploitation

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