Loro Piana announced the winners of the 27th edition of the Loro Piana Record Bale Award at the Tokyo National Museum on April 1, 2026. The Australian 2025 award went to Pyrenees Park for producing 92 kg of Merino wool measuring 10.4 microns, while Earnscleugh received the New Zealand award for the first time with 91 kg at 11.2 microns.
Award Recipients
The Australian award was claimed by Pamela, Robert, and Bradley Sandlant from Pyrenees Park farm, who have now won multiple times and currently hold the World Record Bale with a 10.2 micron fiber achieved in 2023. In New Zealand, the award went to Earnscleugh farm, overseen by Alistair and Duncan Campbell, marking their first win in the competition’s history. The 2025 bales surpassed last year’s New Zealand winning bale of 10.8 microns.
Ceremony Details
The awards ceremony and gala dinner took place at the Hyokeikan Building, a historic site within the Tokyo National Museum in Ueno Park, renowned for its cultural institutions, including museums and historic temples. The event spotlighted the world’s finest Merino wool, reinforcing Loro Piana’s enduring pursuit of rarity, precision, and quiet luxury.
Award History and Significance
Established in 1997, the annual event rewards two farms that produce the finest bale of Merino wool, one in Australia and one in New Zealand, with a minimum of 90 kg required to ensure enough fiber to create yarns, fabrics, and garments. This fineness reflects exceptional production excellence and the ongoing dedication of generations of expert breeders. The first award was bestowed on New Zealand’s wool breeder Donald Burnett, from Mount Cook Station, with a bale weighing 100 kg and measuring 13.7 microns.
The Gift of Kings Collection
All Merino wool bales participating in the Record Bale competition are acquired by Loro Piana for their exceptional fineness and transformed into The Gift of Kings garments. Lightweight and naturally stretchy, these fabrics can absorb up to 35% of their weight in moisture and have a special label documenting the year the animal was shorn, the origin, and the fiber’s micron. The award embodies excellence in Merino wool production and demonstrates the Maison’s dedication to sourcing the world’s finest wool.
