Uruguayan wool coveted by European manufacturers
WITH one hand, breeder Sebastian Saura holds the head of a sheep and with the other, in a matter of minutes, he shears the animal down to its tender pink skin.
It is the first phase of a trip that will take wool from Uruguay – one of the world's top exporters of the textile fiber – to Germany for use in the seats of luxury cars.
At this farm in central Uruguay, 17 workers spend three days shearing 2,600 sheep. They do it in the southern hemisphere's springtime, before the summer heat sets in.
Some of the workers are tasked with going into a pen to grab the animals, which can weigh up to 50kg, and then lugging them into a hangar where they are held down to give up their fleece.
"There is a real team spirit. We are very well organised because that is the only way to work," said Saura, 22, working alongside his father Roberto, who has been shearing sheep for 36 years.
Nestled between Brazil and Argentina, Uruguay boasts a population of 3.5 million and nearly twice as many sheep – 6.6 million.
To sell all that wool, it has to look abroad. Of its annual production of nearly 30 million kilos, only 1% is absorbed by the local market.
Low maritime freight costs are a big help.
"It is more expensive to bring wool from Salto in northern Uruguay than it is to send it to China," said Facundo Ruvira, commercial director of Tops Fray Marcos, the country's biggest plant for washing and combing wool – a practice abandoned decades ago in western Europe.
World's third biggest exporter Indeed, Uruguay is one of the last countries in the world that exports large amounts of wool that has been washed and combed, unlike Australia and New Zealand, which ship it dirty in its roughest form.
A NIn this particular added-value segment, Uruguay is the world's third-largest exporter with a market share of 12%, surpassed only by China and the Czech Republic.
While the country's thinnest wool, such as merino, goes to the luxury fashion industry, thicker wool from a breed of sheep called corriedale – the most common kind in Uruguay – is used in the seats of high-end German cars and in aircraft.
Ruvira said his top client for the past 20 or 30 years has been the Austrian group Schoeller, which supplies the auto industry and is very demanding about the wool it buys.
At his plant, Ruvira shows how wool is separated into long- and short-strand varieties, washed in cold and then hot water, with soap and then without, before finally being combed and packaged for shipping. The process adds value but also creates jobs for 150 people at the Tops Fray Marcos plant in exciting future is emerging with one fast-changing technology – 3D printing. First used primarily for prototyping, the technology has come a long way since its humble beginning. Especially right now where we are going through a tremendous turnaround. A decade ago, nobody would have been able to grasp that this is indeed reality. However, for many, technology strangely enough is not an inspiration but as a tool of execution. Nonetheless, the concept certainly isn’t new. Iris van Herpen pioneered the use of 3D printing technology in fashion. In 2010 the Dutch designer presented her first 3D printed couture dress that captured the attention of the fashion world. Since then, the van Herpen phenomenon has influenced many designers to toy with the idea and explore the capacity to produce printable clothing, shifting focus from mechanical prototyping to fullfledged fashion revolution. Founded by three ambitious souls from the art industry, VEE:LVE is Libertad, west of the capital Montevideo.
The wool then travels by freighter for 25 days before it reaches abbreviated from their very definition of With Love. Their collection – vonDerland – represents a new generation of crossdisciplinary artists that set out to draw upon the influence of this digital innovation. Captivated by the results of this automation, jewellery designer Shirley Wong constructed a series of fashion accessories in liquid resin that are contemporary yet almost futuristic. The minimalist jewellery blends traditional craftsmanship with modern technology, movement with form, and art with science.
Conceptually, her idea simulates the notion of a dandelion one might find on a weed field, and its significant symbolisation to rise above life’s challenges. “When you blow on the dandelions, hundreds of seeds will spread through all corners, as if you bring your wishes, desires, and dreams all over the world,” Shirley explained.
Shirley illustrated the collection “vonDerland” as if she’s telling a story. She imagines a girl wandering in the woods surrounded with florals and faunas on a journey to find answers to her queries. "VonDerland is created to describe the atmosphere of the whole concept," she says.
“It’s very similar to us; we are unsure of our future but we are constantly moving forward, even at a slow pace but as long as we keep on going, we will eventually find something for ourselves.”
Handmade over machine-made? There has been a debate over the artistry between handmade and machine-made items. Handmade items have been looked at with authenticity and sincerity, while machine-made pieces may be considered far Germany, where the wool is transformed into carpets or fabric for BMW and Mercedes-Benz cars, said Ruvira. – AFP Relaxnews less superior with an association to mass production. One might argue over the dispute of whether an item is deemed valuable than another is somewhat inadequate because values change as technology advances. The point is we are moving ahead with time to remain relevant and be fashion forward while never failing to recognise craftsmanship.
“I think nothing can replace the handcrafted work but again most consumers like to see things that are new. The 3D printing technology can definitely give a wow effect and a breath of fresh air to the industry,” Shirley says.
Considering technology in fashion is very much part of a larger creative process, the values truly prevail beyond what made the item. VEE:LVE is on the way, if not already the most exciting jewellery brand in town. With a growing array of 3D materials, 3D printing is slowly but surely changing how we perceive fashion.
Ultimately in an industry where newness appeals to the mass consumers, we can expect this technology ending up on high street where certain retail experience is created for customisable 3D prints.