Monica Ebert is the International Brand Development Manager at BKB in South Africa. Part of Monica’s work portfolio is the company’s outdoor apparel brand Core Merino. In this episode, Monica talks about the opportunities and challenges of marketing a South African merino wool product.

About Monica Ebert

Monica Ebert is the International Brand Development Manager at BKB in South Africa. Her responsibilities include managing the companies clothing line Core Merino. Monica joined BKB in March of 2018 after living and working in the wool industry in New Zealand and the United States.

Monica’s passion for the wool industry stems from her lifelong involvement in the sheep industry having been born into a small purebred sheep operation in Kansas, USA. She received her Bachelor’s degrees in Apparel Design and Apparel Marketing from Kansas State University and completed her Master’s degree at Angelo State University where she focused her research efforts on sheep and wool production and apparel product development concentrating on the processing and manufacturing of wool into activewear garments. Through her research and the development of a supply chain entirely within the United States textile industry, she gained unique insights of the wool supply chain from “sheep to shop”.

Connect with Monica Ebert here

Core Merino website

BKB website

Core Merino on Facebook and Instagram

Key Time Stamps

[spp-timestamp time=”01:08″] About Monica Ebert

[spp-timestamp time=”03:03″] About Core Merino

[spp-timestamp time=”08:15″] The target group of Core Merino

[spp-timestamp time=”11:31″] The challenges at Core Merino

[spp-timestamp time=”08:44″] The importance of good product photography

[spp-timestamp time=”17:28″] The goal of manufacturing in South Africa

[spp-timestamp time=”18:52″] What are the similarities and differences between different wool growing countries

Other episodes you may enjoy

#001: Rikki Beier talks about her wool baby wear start-up Ikki Small But Brave

#005: Mac Bishop shares his insights about starting Wool & Prince

#014: Monica Ebert on how to advance your career through the IWTO Young Professionals program

#021: Philip Attard About Creating the Gostwyck Merino Brand

#026: Debbie Luffman shares Finisterre’s unique wool story

#046: Janne Strommen about wool’s important role at Devold of Norway

#047: Nick Armentrout about the all American wool supply chain at Ramblers Way

#050: Claudia Weiss about Don Baez Eco Chic

#052: Gaspard Tiné-Berès about founding Lasso Shoes successfully

#053: Isak Staats about how to efficiently handle 32 million kg of wool per year

#073: Tove Grane about her label We Norwegians

#077: Wolf Edmayr about the current situation of the South African wool industry

#084: Lorents Tvedt about the knitwear brand Dale of Norway

Over the course of one year, Luke Hooke wore only wool, documenting his journey as his Year of Wool. In this podcast interview, Luke reflects on his experience during the last 12 months.

About Luke Hooke

Luke Hooke is the young Australian behind Year of Wool, a project promoting wool clothing and the wool industry. For 365 days Luke wore only wool and wool blend clothing to demonstrate the versatility and incredible natural qualities of wool and wool clothing. Having grown up on a wool growing farm in Victoria, Australia, Luke explored post-farm-gate part of the wool industry, promoting the wonderful fibre that is wool while also learning more about the industry.

Connect with Luke Hooke here

Year of Wool website

Year of Wool on Instagram

Year of Wool on Facebook

Key Time Stamps

[spp-timestamp time=”01:23″] About Luke Hooke

[spp-timestamp time=”02:41″] About Luke’s experience of wearing wool for one year

[spp-timestamp time=”04:10″] Companies visited by Luke

[spp-timestamp time=”09:13″] Wearing wool in summer vs. winter

[spp-timestamp time=”10:48″] Unexpected lessons from the year of wool

[spp-timestamp time=”13:18″] Feedback for wool brands

[spp-timestamp time=”14:35″] When Luke did not wear wool

[spp-timestamp time=”15:30″] Did anyone join Luke in his year of wool?

[spp-timestamp time=”16:17″] Did Luke find a wool belt?

[spp-timestamp time=”17:13″] Did wool include wool in his interiors?

[spp-timestamp time=”18:45″] Opportunities for the wool industry

[spp-timestamp time=”21:28″] What will Luke do once his year of wool is finished?

Similar episodes you may enjoy

#057: Andrew Cuccurullo is repositioning the Waverley Mills wool blanket

#058: Chantel McAlister tells the truth about wool

#062: Luke Hooke about wearing only wool for one year

#097: James Braszell about life as a shearer and photographer

Celebrating episode 100 of the Wool Academy Podcast it is time to hear more about the host of the show, Elisabeth van Delden. In this episode, Monica Ebert, a former guest of the show, interviews Elisabeth about the podcast.

Elisabeth will take you behind the scene of the podcast. You will learn how Elisabeth came up with the idea for Wool Academy, how each episode is created and what the future will bring for the podcast.

Connect with Elisabeth van Delden here:

Website

All Wool Academy podcast episodes

Wool-lifestyle.com Blog

Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram

Key Time Stamps

[spp-timestamp time=”01:48″] How did Elisabeth get started in the wool industry?

[spp-timestamp time=”06:29″] How did the idea for the Wool Academy Podcast develop

[spp-timestamp time=”09:15″] How difficult was it to find guests for the show?

[spp-timestamp time=”10:28″] How does each episode come about?

[spp-timestamp time=”13:42″] Technical issues

[spp-timestamp time=”17:01″] How much time does it take for each episode?

[spp-timestamp time=”18:15″] Does the Wool Academy podcast earn any money?

[spp-timestamp time=”20:14″] Who listens to the Wool Academy podcast?

[spp-timestamp time=”22:22″] The most popular Wool Academy podcast episodes?

[spp-timestamp time=”24:04″] Celebrating 20.000 downloads

[spp-timestamp time=”26:56″] Elisabeth’s most favorite guest

[spp-timestamp time=”31:21″] Challenges faced with the podcast

[spp-timestamp time=”33:55″] Key learnings from the interviews

[spp-timestamp time=”37:54″] Future plans for the wool academy podcast

[spp-timestamp time=”44:13″] Elisabeth’s most favorite moment in the wool industry

[spp-timestamp time=”47:58″] Which other podcasts does Elisabeth listen to?

Other episodes you may enjoy

#001: Rikki Beier talks about her wool baby wear start-up Ikki Small But Brave

#004: Peter Ackroyd on how buying wool products is an investment with a return on capital

#014: Monica Ebert on how to advance your career through the IWTO Young Professionals program

#038 Francesco Botto Poala takes us behind the scenes of Reda 1865

#048: Mac Bishop from Wool & Prince

#080 Giovanni and Marco Schneider about building a global wool processing business

Gudrun Rógvadóttir is the co-founder of the Faroe Island Knitwear label Gudrun & Gudrun. Together with the designer Gudrun Ludvig she started the label in 2000. Ever since the label grew to a well-known knitwear brand. In this podcast episode, Gudrun tells the story of how and why she started the label. She also introduces us to the Faroe Island wool and sheep industry and gives insights on how the label empowers women.

About Gudrun & Gudrun

Gudrun & Gudrun is a knitwear company specialised in hand-knit. The company was founded in 2002 by two Faroese women and the creative process of design is very closely linked to the isolation of the place.

The vision of the company is to make a difference, something very simple and yet very ambitious. The knitwear label wants to make clothes that meet the standards of conscious customers who care about each other, the environment, our common natural resources and who yet want to be stylish.

The hand-knitted collections are made in the homes of female knitters on the Faroe Islands, Jordan and Peru as part of a women’s empowerment project.

The Faroe Islands are 18 tiny islands situated in the North Atlantic, between Iceland and Norway. Only 45,000 people live on the islands. Still, it is a nation of its own culture and own language.

Connect with Gudrun Rógvadóttir

Website

The label on social media: Instagram , Facebook

Key Stamps

[spp-timestamp time=”00:49″] About Gudrun & Gudrun

[spp-timestamp time=”06:26″] Where is the label distributed?

[spp-timestamp time=”06:41″] About the Faroe Islands

[spp-timestamp time=”08:45″] About sheep and wool industry on the Faroe Islands

[spp-timestamp time=”15:03″] Handknitters in Peru and Jordan knitting for the label

[spp-timestamp time=”23:30″] The difference in handknitting techniques around the world

[spp-timestamp time=”24:30″] The story behind the famous jumper

[spp-timestamp time=”29:12″] High interest from Japan

Similar Episodes you may enjoy

#026 Debbie Luffman shares Finisterre’s unique wool story

#050 Claudia Weiss about Don Baez Eco Chic

#067 Marion Tviland about the Norwegian wool industry

#073 Tove Grane about her label We Norwegians

#090 Derelee Potroz-Smith is turning wool into gold with Woolchemy

Allan De Boos has been working in the wool industry his whole career. As the Programme Manager responsible for the Woolmark Wool Education Course at tertiary level he shares his knowledge with the wool industry’s future designers and engineers. In this episode, he talks about the programme and explains the importance of educating students in wool for the innovations of the future.

About Allan De Boos

Dr. Allan de Boos is a graduate of the University of NSW (Textile Technology – Chemistry) and the Victoria University of Manchester (Dept Chemical Physics). He was employed by CSIRO Division of Wool Technology from 1968-2002 conducting research into the chemical and mechanical finishing of wool and wool-blend fabrics.

While at CSIRO he worked closely with fabric and garment manufacturers particularly in Italy and the UK, on the exploitation of SiroFAST and other systems for fabric objective measurement for fabric and garment manufacturing.

Over the last 15 years, Allan has worked for Australian Wool Innovation and is currently the Programme Manager responsible for Woolmark Wool Education Course at tertiary level. Over the past four years, he has delivered the Woolmark Course at Yantai-Nanshan university in Nanshan, China. The delivery involves two periods, each of two months, working in Nanshan. This year he will also be delivering units at Jiaxing University.

In addition to delivery of the course units, Allan conducts ‘course familiarisation’ sessions with staff from other Chinese universities so that they can evaluate the course and its materials for inclusion in the university undergraduate programme for textile engineers.

Allan also manages the delivery of units of the course at several other textile-related universities in China by staff from Deakin University (Australia).

About AWI/The Woolmark Company

AWI is the research development and marketing (RD&M) organisation for the Australian wool industry.

AWI’s mission is to invest in research, development, marketing and promotion to enhance the profitability, international competitiveness and sustainability of the Australian wool
industry and increase demand and market access for Australian wool.

Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) and its subsidiary The Woolmark Company (TWC) represent the interests of 55,000 wool growers in Australia.

AWI is proud of what it has achieved for Australian wool growers. In FY17 AWI invested $71 million in 398 projects with 140 partners worldwide. These included leading international brands and sport companies such as Nike and Adidas who recognise their customers are interested in natural fibre, and in particular wool, in clothes, running shoes, and soft tailoring.

Connect with AWI and the Wool Education Course

Wool Appreciation Course

AWI website

The Woolmark Company website

Key Time Stamps

[spp-timestamp time=”01:43″] About Allan De Boos

[spp-timestamp time=”03:02″] Career achievements of Allan De Boos

[spp-timestamp time=”06:36″] About the Wool Education Course

[spp-timestamp time=”11:27″] Details on the Yantai-Nanshan University and Jiaxing University

[spp-timestamp time=”13:03″] Who are the students of the Wool Education Course?

[spp-timestamp time=”14:32″] The curriculum of the Wool Education Course

[spp-timestamp time=”16:02″] Expanding the course to more lecturers, countries and online

[spp-timestamp time=”19:06″] First results from the Wool Education Course

[spp-timestamp time=”20:34″] Additional examples of the AWI Education and Extension programme

[spp-timestamp time=”23:07″] How to join the course

[spp-timestamp time=”23:56″] Allan’s most favourite moment working in the wool industry

Other episodes you may enjoy

#017: Angus Ireland about the latest wool research Edit

#064: Nora Kuehner explains the key trends for wool

#070: Mark Grave about the services of the Australian Wool Exchange

#078: Jimmy Jackson about wool knitting manufacturing in China

#086 Peter Morgan about the Australian Wool Export Industry