LORO PIANA AWARDS A NEW WORLD RECORD BALE

 

Loro Piana has announced the 24th and 25th editions of the Loro Piana Record Bale Award, held on February 1st in London. The award ceremony unveiled a new World Record Bale achieved by the Australian farm Pyrenees Park with a Merino wool fiber of only 10.2 microns, surpassing the 2013 record of 10.3 microns. Damien Bertrand, CEO of Loro Piana, and Pier Luigi Loro Piana, Deputy Chairman of the Maison, pioneer and supporter of the continuous quest for the finest Merino wool fiber, hosted the award.

The World Record Bale is preciously stored in a glass container (shown above) at the Loro Piana Quarona factory in Piedmont until the record is beaten. This year is very important; a world record has been achieved for the first time since 2013. This means that the bale of the previous record of 10,3 microns can now be put into production. The fabrics and unique Masterpieces produced are reserved for a selection of exceptional clients, the most discerning connoisseurs.

The award ceremony was hosted in London by Bertrand and Mr. Loro Piana. The event was held in a private residence and celebrated with an intimate dinner for selected guests, including actors Claire Foy, Andrew Garfield, and Richard E. Grant.

Every year, the Loro Piana Record Bale Award, created in 1997, rewards two farms, one in Australia and one in New Zealand, that successfully produced the finest bale of Merino wool. This challenges farmers to strive for excellence continuously. “This wool is not just a gift of nature; it is the result of the hard work of exceptional people combined with their passion and true belief in innovation, in the power to change things and improve them day after day. This enables us to create unique Masterpieces for the most discerning connoisseurs”, says Damien Bertrand.

The Australian 2023 Loro Piana World Record Bale Award goes to the Pyrenees Park farm with Pamela, Robert, and Bradley Sandlant, who achieved a fiber of only 10.2 microns, surpassing the 2013 record of 10.3. (A micron is a unit of measurement of the fineness of a fiber equivalent to one-thousandth of a millimeter. By comparison, a human hair measures 80 microns.)

This extraordinary result bears witness to the breeders’ unceasing dedication to the production of even finer and better-performing wool: “You simply cannot produce a World Record Bale without passion, focus, and dedication! Such a wonderful reward for our Pyrenees Park team!” says Bradley Sandlant. This ever-finer wool can only be obtained by shearing a selection of unique Merino sheep raised by generations of expert breeders. A path that leaves nothing to chance, a World Record has not been achieved for 10 years.

The New Zealand 2023 Loro Piana Record Bale Award goes to Barrie and Yvonne Payne of Visuela Farm with a 10.7 micron wool bale.

The 2022 Loro Piana Record Bale Award goes to the same two farms: Pyrenees Park with a 10,7 microns* Merino wool bale and Visuela Farm with an 11.0 microns Merino wool bale. “The Loro Piana Record Bale Award has been the catalyst required for us to grow the finest, and the best quality, natural fiber produced in the world,” said Yvonne and Barrie Payne from Visuela Farm.

Timeless, precious, unique, and exclusive, the exceptional Record Bale garments represent true excellence in Merino wool production. They are distinguished with a special label that documents their traceability, from the year the animal was shorn to its origin to the fiber’s micron. The Loro Piana Record Bale Award shows the Maison’s dedication to sourcing the world’s finest wool and the commitment to exceptional quality, the quintessence of luxury.