The Woolmark Company will showcase a selection of Merino wool innovations, trends and industry services at SpinExpo Shanghai from September 3 to 5.

On display at the The Woolmark Company stand will be the latest edition of The Wool Lab, produced each season in Italy.

This is a tool which is widely used by the industry which selects the best wool products worldwide and identifies the emerging trends from fashion, design, art, pop culture, music and other fields.

Some of the latest highlight Merino wool product innovations created by The Woolmark Company partners will be presented at Spin Expo including:

Merino Air

Developed in collaboration with Consinee Group, this yarn combines bulk without weight by adding air to the yarn without compromising strength and integrity.

This pure new wool yarn uses special spinning technology which 'knits' wool into a continuous length with enough strength and extensibility to be knitted into coarse gauge knits. The unique crimp and softness of Merino wool is used to full advantage in this yarn.

Distressed Merino

This yarn builds on the success of the Merino Retract innovation developed previously where the principle is to use the unique felting propensity of wool to contract and create new texture.

The innovation, developed in collaboration with specialist space dyers Sundeli, is that the yarn has been randomly treated along its length to create sections that felt and sections that don’t felt. The result when knitted and 'boil washed' is a random felt/no-felt effect that is unique to wool.

A new way to dye Merino Vintage will also be presented, along with the Sculptured Merino innovation.

The Woolmark Company  Project Manager Knitting, Zhu Mei, will also be hosting two seminars on the latest edition of The Wool Lab at SpinExpo Shanghai, on Tuesday September 3 at 12.30pm; and Wednesday September 4 at 3.45pm in the Seminar Area.

Another development by The Woolmark Company is the launch of a new service for all companies involved in the wool production pipeline.

The Looking For Wool sourcing guide is an online directory which will enable businesses to source wool and wool-rich products for both the apparel and interiors sectors.

The online tool can be accessed via woolmark.com/lookingforwool and The Woolmark Company encourages companies across the world to take part in this unique opportunity.

The guide provides one central location for buyers to source all types of wool-related products, including raw wool, tops, yarns and fabrics. It enables global companies – suppliers and manufacturers – to easily and freely promote their products.

Company registration is free and is open to any company producing product containing more than 50 per cent wool content. Those which register are responsible for entering their company’s information and can enter as little or as many details as they wish.

The Woolmark Company will be located at stand A03.