The organising committee for the creative fashion WoolOn event have announced they will not hold a show this year.

The once-strong event had struggled over recent years, cancelling twice, and was now in need of new members to allow it to “rebuild”.

“This decision has not been made lightly. The 2021 event was extremely successful and the committee was delighted with the enthusiastic community response in welcoming it back.

However, given the general uncertainty associated with Covid this year, we intend to focus instead on rebuilding and marketing this iconic event,” according to a WoolOn press statement

Speaking to the Central Otago District Council on Wednesday, committee member Maxine Williams thanked the authority for a last-minute $10,000 grant issued to allow the 2021 event to proceed. 

She said the benefits from the event for designers, young and old, and models were great as well as the opportunities for promoting wine, food and wool production.

The previous event had also been made possible by the provision of a free venue, The Canyon, near Tarras, something that would have cost around $20,000. The owners had indicated that they would be willing to provide this again, she said.

WoolOn 2021 Runner Up ‘From Ward to Wine’ by Charlotte Hurley of Alexandra.

The extra time between shows would be used to attract new members, secure funding and reorganise to ensure that the committee was not going to be “behind the eight ball” going into another event.

“We had a very stressful time and it was amazing we pulled it off.”

She said a paid event co-ordinator would be required to ease pressure on committee members.

Later in the council meeting, members discussed having a council representative liaising with any future WoolOn committee, if they were to again ask for funding. Clearer financial records of WoolOn’s income and expenditure would also be desirable, the meeting heard.

WoolOn is a long-running event showcasing original design in natural fibres, particularly wool. It began in Alexandra and until recent years, was a community-focused event that attracted national media coverage for the innovative creations it showcased.

The committee say they would welcome people with all types of experience as new members and anyone interested could contact them via email: [email protected].