Present in the Australian High Commission garden were members of the Indian and the Australian textile industry, models, designers, photographers and journalists chatting and sipping wine. Everyone was waiting for the Cool Wool fashion show to begin and the guest of honour and brand ambassador, the Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda.
Cool Wool is a new concept of wearing Australian merino wool, launched jointly by The Woolmark Company and Raymond Ltd and designed by the Gaurav Jai Gupta. We think that wool has to be worn only in winter, when it is very cold, but, it seems that we are wrong. Wool which has high thermal insulation properties protects the skin from ultraviolet rays, a fact that the nomadic tribes in the Sahara desert were aware of. Therefore, they wear wool to protect themselves from the extreme heat. Furthermore, merino wool in particular, is highly breathable and has a strong odour resistance, a property that can be very useful in workplaces during hot summers.
Despite the stormy weather and heavy rain, the models paraded with elegance; all of them had a curious make up with long hair and beard. Randeep Hooda, was the last to take the stage dressed in a stylish white suit and a steel grey shirt. The Cool Wool collection, at the moment, is only for men and available as formal and casual wear. Shirts, suit jackets, trousers, light scarves and trenches. All the dresses gave the impression of being very comfortable and light, far from the traditional idea that we commonly have of woollen clothes.
At the end of the show Gaurav explained the idea behind the event and said: “As a fashion designer, I think that you do not have to make it too hard. Fashion is very simple and you do not have to judge people. This is the idea that made us to wear long hair and long beard on the stage. Often people judge you, but you are who you are and you do not have to be afraid and you need to be yourself.” Wearing self-designed simple dresswhich perfectly suited the idea behind his collection, the designer added: “My fashion is high fashion, but, at the same time it is fashion for everyday.”
