The Mohair Trophy, an annual competition established in 1970 to select and award the finest quality mohair fibre, is sponsored by the luxury Italian designer group, Ermenegildo Zegna and Mohair South Africa, a non-profit organisation representing the entire mohair industry.
Ermenegildo Zegna has once again reaffirmed the significance of the superior quality of raw materials by purchasing the top three winning bales of the 2016 edition and has demonstrated its ongoing support of South African mohair, encouraging producers to deliver the highest standards of kid mohair fibres.
Starting with the 45th anniversary edition, an exclusive special auction was established for the mohair lots participating in the Trophy. The peculiarity of this new auction is that the bales are sold anonymously and the identity of the farmer is announced only upon its conclusion.
During the auction this year, a mohair lot was sold at a price corresponding to the highest price ever paid for kid mohair. It was revealed only after the awarding ceremony that the record-breaking lot was actually the winning bale from the 46th Mohair Trophy, signalling that both the judges and the market independently deemed the lot to be the best.
Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna, the heart and soul of the Zegna Group, commits to buying the winning lots, including the record-breaking lot and the second and third place Trophy winners. Located in Trivero, in Northern Italy, the Lanificio then transforms these lots into the exclusive, limited edition fabric known as ‘Mohair Trophy Selection’, an example of the excellence and quality the group stands for.
“We’ve been celebrating the best quality mohair since 1970 and it is always a pleasure to award the efforts and achievements of the mohair growers,” said Paolo Zegna, chairman of the Ermenegildo Zegna Group, who attended the intimate gala dinner. “The trophy programme is a testament of the importance of the mohair industry, as well as the commitment of our group to maintain the high qualitative standards of the raw materials we use for our most precious fabrics, such as wool, mohair, cashmere, vicuna and silk. On behalf of the entire group, I extend my congratulations to the winners and sincerely thank all the participants to whom I encourage to continue their hard work in targeting excellence.”
“It is an accolade for South Africa and the South African mohair industry to be recognised as a partner by a brand such as Ermenegildo Zegna. South Africa prides itself on producing the best mohair in the world, delivered by top quality South African mohair farmers. The relationship with
Ermenegildo Zegna has been key in the positioning of the South African mohair brand as a reputable supplier of top quality mohair to the world.
We extend our personal gratitude to Zegna for his support over the last forty plus years and we hope that we can continue with this collaboration for many years to come. Congratulations to the farmers for the excellent quality mohair, which they produce, the efforts they put into producing this exquisite fibre for Zegna to tailor top class garments for their stores across the world,” said Deon Saayman, MD of Mohair South Africa.
