MILAN – Loro Piana’s ongoing quest to increase the quality of merino wool fibers each year has resulted in two incredibly thin bales in 2025, presented on Wednesday as part of the 27th annual Record Bale Awards.
Established in 1997, the award is given to two farms, one in Australia and one in New Zealand, that have successfully produced the best bale of merino wool in the previous year.
Frédéric Arnault, chief executive officer of Loro Piana, said: “The Loro Piana Record Bale Award symbolizes the maison’s dedication to the search for the finest wool in the world, celebrating the most successful growers who have achieved unparalleled excellence.”
Pamela, Robert and Bradley Sandlant of the Australian Pyrenees Park farm won the award for merino wool fiber of 10.4 microns. The same farm won last year’s award with a 10.5-micron fiber, and is currently defending the World Record Bale, a 10.2-micron fiber obtained in 2023, surpassing the previous record of 10.3 microns set in 2013.
A micron is a measurement of fiber quality equal to one thousandth of a millimeter. For reference, a human hair measures 70 microns.
New Zealand’s recognition went to newcomer Loro Piana Record Bale Award. Earnscleugh Farm, managed by Alistair and Duncan Campbell, produced 91 kilograms of merino wool to a count of 11.2 microns, above last year’s count of 10.8-micron.
Pier Luigi Loro Piana, vice-chairman of the company, said: “Thanks to the unique climate and unique countries of Australia and New Zealand, these areas are synonymous with merino wool of high quality and beauty that cannot be compared.
Inside the 2025 Loro Piana Record Bale Award ceremony in Tokyo.
Courtesy of Loro Piana
The awards ceremony was held on Wednesday night at the Hyokeikan Building, a historic site inside the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park.
The event – held in Tokyo again in 2008 – drew the likes of architect Jun Aoki; Makoto Fujiwara, director of the Tokyo National Museum; Mizuka Ueno, principal dancer of Tokyo Ballet, together with choreographer Robert Campbell.
The first prize was awarded to New Zealand fur farmer Donald Burnett from the Mount Cook Station farm. It weighed 100 kilograms and measured 13.7 microns, which means that the quality of the fiber has improved by more than 30 percent.
The World Record Bale is kept in a glass case at the Loro Piana Quarona factory in Italy’s Piedmont region, until the record is broken and the first award-winning bale is spun into the pure wool of The Gift of Kings, and then added to the clothing line with the same moniker.
The name is inspired by the Spanish royal family’s practice of giving some sheep as gifts to other kings to honor their relations. In the second half of the 18th century, these animals were taken to New Zealand and Australia, where the area proved to be beneficial.
Record Bale valuable clothes are distinguished by a special label that shows their traceability, from the year in which the animal was shorn, from the beginning, to the micron of the fiber.
Loro Piana Record Bale award-winning fabrics.
Courtesy of Loro Piana
Awards ceremonies have been held all over the world, from New York, Tokyo and Los Angeles to Rome, Milan and, most recently, London.
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