This June, ça va de soi had the privilege of taking part in the 95th International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) Congress in Dalang, China, at the invitation of Campaign for Wool Canada.

Dalang is at the heart of one of the world's great knitwear communities, producing an estimated one in five knitted garments worldwide. From June 24 to 26, 238 delegates from across the global wool supply chain came together to exchange ideas about the future of wool.

The Congress offered a fascinating view into the many facets of our industry. We visited the Dalang knitwear Fair and met with machinery and technology suppliers and impressive knitwear manufacturers. Discussions ranged from innovation in production, we’ve made a few discoveries notably around Wholegarment knitting.

Wool & Retail: bringing the conversation back to the consumer

I represented ça va de soi during the Wool & Retail session, sharing our perspective as a Canadian retailer and exploring the evolving relationship between consumers and wool.

I’ve presented how our retail environment can cater to customers in many ways from needing, to wanting, to desiring wool. This is by offering an ageless, timeless, reasonless product, but also by proposing products in multiple price ranges, with the same concept, design philosophy, and technology. 

Customers understand what makes a fibre exceptional by trying multiple variteties — from micron and fibre length to choosing between worsted and woollen products, in various gauges, textures and finishing techniques.

Our presentation also explored the climate realities of Canada, where changing temperatures make versatility and transitional dressing increasingly relevant. Wool offers a natural combination of beauty, comfort, adaptability and longevity.

We were pleased to see that our approach to retail also sparked conversations around ça va bain, our repair and refurbishing service; our recently launched Maille Club, a knit club where generations come together around craft; and our permanent collection, designed to offer exceptional fine wool wardrobe staples, available and in stock throughout the year.

The experience also reinforced something we strongly believe in: small can be beautiful. Small and medium-sized businesses can remain relevant and grow sustainably while staying deeply connected to their communities and more human-centred ways of doing business.

The IWTO Green Book: a new chapter for wool

One of the major moments of the Congress was the launch of the IWTO Green Book, presented by Francesco Botto on behalf of the Wool Sector of Confindustria Moda and lead author Dr Paul Swan; a new resource bringing together scientific research, independently verified data and practical standards around wool's environmental credentials and supply-chain integrity.

At its heart is a new approach to biogenic carbon accounting, developed in alignment with ISO 14067:2018. It recognizes the natural carbon cycles involved in wool production and addresses limitations in conventional life-cycle assessment methods when applied to biological systems. The methodology has been independently reviewed and verified by TÜV SÜD and supported by real-world farm case studies.

For brands and retailers, this is an important step. The Green Book provides a stronger scientific foundation for understanding, communicating and differentiating wool's environmental story.

Discover and download the IWTO Green Book.

I’ve appreciated discovering and meeting sustainability experts Federico Brugnoli founder of Spin360 and Jyrki Sura founder of Sura & Co. 

An eye opening conversation with Jyrki around interesting applications of traceability in the Fur industry up that can go up to what we buy in vintage shops, and an important part that is ‘nothing goes unused’, applicable to the wool industry when we talk about the food chain. 

Discussing with Frederico the importance of adopting sustainability in all aspects of business operations, and discussing applications in one’s lifestyle was mind-bending! I particularly appreciated learning about the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) built for the leather industry that can help build a brand’s internal awareness, find hot point in one’s supply chain to reduce environmental impact, that can applied across the wool and many other industries.

And from a friendly meet at the Congress with Dr George de Kock, chairman of Cape Wools, may lead to a dream project for ça va de soi, more news to come for 2027…

Bringing the conversation home

The story of wool doesn't begin or end with the finished garment.

It begins with the land, the animal, the treatment in every step of fibre, to the people, the expertise and the craftsmanship that transform it into something we can wear for a long time, but also that has relevance, soul and meaning.

The IWTO Congress reminded us just how much there is still to discover, share and communicate about this unique fibre we love to say is closest to us humans…

We are happy to bring these conversations back to Canada, to our boutiques and to our community.

Editorial note: This article was prepared with the assistance of ChatGPT and reviewed and edited by the ça va de soi team.