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Thank you to the Biella Masters Programme andto all the amazing mills where these photos were

taken. Your work is truly inspiring.

Special thanks to Merino New ZealandIncorporated, The New Zealand Merino Company,

and Meat & Wool New Zealand.

To Simon, Richard, Nick, and all the great peoplewe met on our travels - Grazie.

All photographs in this series were taken byBlythe Rees-Jones on a Canon EOS 450D.

Copyright 2009

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View from Mt Camino, Italy.

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There is a very strong connection betweenItalian fashion and our magic white merinofibre from the depths of the south island ofNew Zealand. It all begins in a small remoteplace called Biella, situated in northern Italyin the foothills of the Italian alps. Biella is anintegral part of the international high endluxury fibres industry and the region has along standing tradition of producing fine, highquality woollen and worsted textiles.

Every year a high percentage of superfineNew Zealand merino is purchased by Italianmills in Biella where it is crafted into a rangeof highly valuable luxury fibre products. NewZealand merino is highly regarded in Italy forits premium qualities: low micron, good crimpand elongation, optimum staple length,whiteness, and low vegetable matter.

This book provides an insight into how NewZealand merino is processed in Biella.

Photographs were taken while visiting aseries of Biellese mills as part of the BiellaMaster of Noble Fibres Scholarshipsponsored by Meat & Wool New Zealandand Merino Inc, and organized by Merino Incand The New Zealand Merino Company.

The Biella Masters program is an Italiantextiles initiative set up to bring factoriesand artists together to foster the handingdown of knowledge, skills andentrepreneurial ability for the prosperity ofboth New Zealand merino and the Italiantextiles industry.

It is hoped that these images capture yourimagination as much as they did thephotographer. The images are presented togive you a real impression of what goes intomaking exclusive luxury fibre products inItaly from our renewable white resourceknown as New Zealand merino.

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