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The 2025 Karoo Winter Wool Festival (KWWF), an inspiring celebration of the natural fibre industry, took place from 3 to 5 July on Dwarsvlei farm near Middelburg in the Eastern Cape.
Cape Wools SA (CWSA) was the official partner of this extraordinary event which took place for the fourth consecutive year in a freezing cold, but exquisitely unique Karoo landscape. Braving the cold weather, 2 500 festival goers flocked to the festival where the warm atmosphere and the celebration of wool, community, and creativity stole the show.
The event was officially opened with a gala evening hosted by OVK on the farm Rusoord. For the third time, OVK once again presented three competitions in which fibre producers, the general public, and school learners could participate.
A wool event with a Karoo flavour
South African wool and natural fibres like cotton and alpaca fleece were celebrated while people from across the entire value chain connected to take a closer look at the important uses of these natural fibres, which are environmentally friendly and viewed as an asset for the socio-economic wellbeing of the South African countryside.
The Beskuitfontein Trails hosted 78 children for a day of colour, fun, and learning in the veld, while new additions to the programme such as Karoo lifestyle aspects also came under the spotlight. Live music performances were delivered by Cris Chameleon, Millennium, Darren Jacobs, Winter Wysies, the Midros Brass Band, and Franco Prinsloo Productions presented Kunslied in die Karoo.
Boerepraatjies from a different point of view
The National Woolgrowers’ Association (NWGA)’s Boerepraatjies session, facilitated by general manager, Dan Kriek, took centre stage on Friday, 4 July. The flow of this conversation centred around current agricultural issues, such as the land expropriation debacle and the need for leadership in the country, as well as the need for and significance of a reliable traceability system in the wool and red meat industry.
On Saturday, 5 July, another Boerepraatjies session drew festival goers for discussions on global economic matters and the possible effect it could have on the South African wool industry were looked at. Dr Imtiaz Sooliman from Gift of the Givers Foundation also shared some of his experiences of giving hope to people in spite of life’s hardships.
A hands-on learning experience
BKB is committed to growing and nurturing the next generation of agricultural leaders and farmers, and proudly sponsored the youth show which added yet another dimension to this year’s festival. It is a key industry event which helps to shape the way forward and is based on three principles: Respect, concentration and discipline.
There were 36 very enthusiastic participants between the ages of 4 and 14 years. The show was supervised by Danie Lombard and Corné Nel from BKB, who each in their own special way worked with the children, sharing some important information about animal handling with the youngsters. Lombard and Nel said it was heartening to see how the older kids helped the young ones to learn new skills and to complete the show, and knowing that each child left there happy and with more confidence in their ability to handle livestock.
The future of wool fashion is in good hands
The winner of the Karoo Winter Wool Festival Student Knitwear competition hosted in collaboration with Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion, was Carlize van Zyl, with Rauen Krohn in second place.
The other three finalists were Chanté van der Merwe, Cheandri Durand, and Maya van Zyl. Seventeen students of Elizabeth Galloway Academy of Fashion entered the competition and each designed a knitwear piece. The five finalists’ pieces were knitted by Vuya Knitwear from Cape Town, who was the sponsor.
Designer pieces made their debut in a shearing shed
The Wool World exhibition, curated by the fashion house VIVIERS in collaboration with Hoven Designs, debuted at the festival and showcased more than fifty designers’ and artists’ work in a specially erected structure in a Merino shearing shed on Dwarsvlei. The exhibition themed, “Beneath Karoo Skies” portrayed the four seasons of the year, with design pieces and displays which affirmed the global relevance of South African wool as a commodity, and the cultural and creative forces behind it.
Contributing to the local economy
In collaboration with various sponsors, partners, and collaborators, the KWWF – a registered non-profit organisation – has been making a significant contribution to the local economy of the Karoo town of Middelburg in the Eastern Cape, and to the South African wool and natural fibre industry, according to the festival directors.
“We are grateful for our partnership with Cape Wools SA, and for the support we have received from our major sponsors which were OVK, Standard Bank, BKB, Sappi Verve, the NWGA, SAMIL, the Stucken Group, Agrisell, Babylonstoren, SPAR Middelburg, and Johan van der Ahee, and Ilse Olse, as local business owners,” said Sarah van Lingen, one of the festival directors.
“We would also like to thank our media sponsor, Plaas Media, and the many other role-players who helped to make this year’s festival a memorable event. We are already working on next year’s festival and hope to exceed all expectations.” – Carin Venter, Plaas Media
For more information, visit the following website: www.karoowinterwoolfestival.com
