MEDIA STATEMENT
MONDAY, 17 JUNE 2024
WOOL CELEBRATION AND SHOWCASE IN THE KAROO
For the third consecutive year, wool and natural fibre were celebrated and showcased in the Karoo. The Karoo Winter Wool Festival took place on farms in-and around Middelburg, Eastern Cape, from the 13th to 16th of June 2024. This festival promotes one of the products the Karoo is most famous for – wool! It showcased the complete wool value chain – from Merino sheep growing wool on the farm to the final woollen products available to the consumer.
The festival offered much more than a natural fibre shopping experience. Festival goers enjoyed continuous and exceptionally presented demonstrations on shearing, classing, weaving, knitting, Yurts using wool insulation, sheep dogs and more. Fashion designers, wool buyers and every-day South Africans were brought to the farm and to the farmer – connecting them with the source of their fibre. A collection of twelve workshops also took place where festival goers had the opportunity to learn various techniques, such as crocheting, needle punching, natural dying and weaving.
Exceptional woollen and natural fibre garments and products were sold at the festivals’ two-day Wool Market - the largest gathering of wool product manufacturers in South Africa. An authentic farm experience complemented the market and demonstrations which took place in historical farm buildings on the sheep and guest farm, Dwarsvlei, just outside Middelburg. Striking Merino stud rams and Clydesdal and Shire horses, John Deere tractors and agricultural and informational stalls were also on offer.
A highlight on the Friday afternoon was the Fashion Showcase with a reimagined catwalk – a “veld”walk. Curated by Sumendra Chetty from Merchants on Long, made possible by Cape Wools SA and hosted by Jackie Burger, models displayed exceptional wool and natural fibre pieces by a selection of South African designers whilst the sun was setting against a Karoo backdrop. This extraordinary group of designers included MMUSOMAXWELL, Luminous Ware, Stephanie Bentum Design, VIVIERS Studio, UNIFORM by Luke Radloff, Rethread, Lukhanyo Mdingi, INKE Knitwear and many more. Their design was on display for festival goers to touch, feel and really appreciate the fibre and craftmanship behind each piece. The Friday evening was rounded off by a Babylonstoren wine experience to accompany a traditional Karoo braai – and saxophone artist, Darren Jacobs’ soothing sounds that played into the night.
Another highlight of this annual festival was its speaker programme. Included in the entrance ticket, festival goers had the privilege to listen to experts in their various fields from fascinating Karoo fossil information shared by Prof Bruce Rubidge, to the president of international The Campaign for Wool Peter Akroyd who flew in from the United Kingdom to share his knowledge during the Fibre Focus programme. Jackie Burger produced a moving visual piece that encouraged festival goers to take responsibility and make environmentally informed consumer decisions.
To top all of the above, festival goers experienced the “Thread” – an architectural installation by Kate Otten, Frances Hasselt and Mbali Mthethwa. This piece tells a visual story of Johannesburg, a story of how gold was discovered, the mining thereof and the outcomes of its processing, narrated by women through different weavings and readings that describe this long history.
This year there were many more activities and events focussed on entertaining and educating children who attended the festival. BKB sponsored and organised the first ever Karoo Winter Wool Festival “Jeugskou” to provide children with the opportunity to learn how to handle sheep. A children’s workshop programme was added to the general programming. New this year was the attendance of students from Elizabeth Galloway Design School who came from Stellenbosch to offer “Fun with Fibre” free workshops for children to learn how to crochet and knit.
The Saturday evening closed with the annual Woljol which once again took place in a historic shearing shed on the farm Rusoord. This year Robbie Wessels entertained the crowds with tickets selling out for this popular event. The festival ended with its Charity Run & Ride at Beskuitfontein Trails – a sheep farm just outside of Middelburg where hiking, running, mountain biking and 4x4 trails in the Eastern Karoo mountains were enjoyed. All proceeds from this charity fund will be used by the festival to take underprivileged children from Middelburg out to farms to teach them about wool, farming and the Karoo environment.
In partnership with OVK, the Karoo Winter Wool Festival offered three important wool competitions, Art for Schools, Wool Innovation (winner Carlize van Zyl) and Best Single Wool Bale (winner Jozua Theron from Silver Karoo Pty Ltd). The winners of these competitions were announced at a Gala Opening and Prizegiving ceremony proudly sponsored by OVK on the opening day of the festival. In collaboration with Landbouweekblad, a “Familieboerdery Meestersklas” also formed part of the festival programme – a morning where experts Theo Vorster and team shared valuable information relevant to family farming operations.
The Karoo Winter Wool Festival with its official partner Cape Wools SA, and proudly supported by its main sponsors OVK, Standard Bank and BKB, will continue to provide a family-friendly and affordable festival with quality and authentic content – aimed at creating awareness and ambassadors for wool and locally produced products. This festival will also continue to expose South Africa to the charming Karoo town of Middelburg – the Wool Mecca of South Africa.
More information about the festival’s partners, programme, workshops and wool product manufacturers can be found at www.karoowinterwoolfestival.co.za
Ends.
ISSUED BY: Karoo Winter Wool Festival
FOR MEDIA ENQUIRIES:
Yolandi Erasmus / Sarah van Lingen
CONTACT NO: +27 73 476 5422 / +27 66 220 2218
EMAIL: info@karoowinterwoolfestival.com
