‘We are travelers’: WA wool traders on the move for first time since 2019 to meet with overseas clients

WA wool traders and exporters have their passports at the ready as they prepare to visit mills and clients the world over with international travel finally back on the cards after a two-year hiatus because of COVID-19. All signs are pointing to demand for the luxury fibre remaining strong, as online sales continue and stores reopen, with traders “hamstrung” by WA’s strict border protocols excited to meet with clients for the first time in years. Swan Wool Processors managing director Paul Foley recently came back after a long-awaited 10-day trip to Europe. The Fremantle-based company supplies Australian greasy, scoured, carbonised, tops and open tops globally, but had not been able to meet with international clients since 2019, a part of their business Mr Foley considered integral. “It’s extremely important. . . we are travelers,” he said. “Normally we’d do 3-4 trips a year.” “By seeing the people on the floor, your wool coming out of the bales, you can discuss their needs and wants and that’s how you develop good products for them, you get a feel for what’s happening and they get a feel for the situation and origins of the wool. “I think there’s going to be an influx of people coming to Australia for wool and an influx of Australian traders hitting the airports and going all over the world. All mills and clients will be extremely happy to see people in their trade.” It was a complex and involved process to make it happen, with the trip shortened from two weeks to 10 days to minimise the risk of catching COVID-19 and getting stuck overseas, but Mr Foley said it had been worthwhile. “It was all positive, people are getting back to work, the main airport hubs are absolutely overflowing, it’s incredible how many people are travelling,” he said. “The world is definitely open for business.” He said it was promising to see the mills operating at full capacity and genuine orders streaming in for next season’s garments. “European clients are active, many are running at full capacity which is surprising because people were destocking with the uncertainty around COVID, but business kept coming,” Mr Foley said. “Everyone thought the wool world was going to end, but it didn’t “Clients that had a good space online haven’t taken a backwards step as online went crazy. “So they had to restock but then business was good, so everyone is chasing their tails.” He said all the predictors pointed to sustained global demand for textiles. “The people who are ordering forward are quite confident, they’re genuine orders, they are not saying maybe,” Mr Foley said. Mr Foley said wool had been resilient in the old school European processing sector which still produced its own woolen fabric, saying “in their business model, buying fabric from China is too expensive”. One of the trends he picked up on during his trip was the kaleidoscope of colours at the mills, which he said would lead to demand for a variety of types of wool, including Australia’s super white wool for bright garments. “It was colours, colours, colours,” he said. He said while the industry was not without its challenges, including skilled labour shortages at mills and shipping logistic “nightmares,” wool had remained strong through the many curve balls COVID had thrown at it. “Considering all of the hurdles placed in front of the trade, whether it be uncertainty with COVID, shipping issues, lockdowns, shutdowns, the Russia-Ukraine conflict. . . there’s bright lights at the end of the tunnel for the wool trade,” Mr Foley said.