The winners of the prestigious Ermenegildo Zegna South Africa Mohair and Wool Trophies – for the finest kid mohair and wool fleece respectively – were announced at a gala dinner held in Port Elizabeth on 21 October 2010.

The top five mohair winners were: FE Colborne & Sons (Willowmore district), Snyberg Boerdery (De Rust), PH Viljoen (Kleinpoort), PCL Michau (Cradock) and JL Retief & Son (Murraysburg).

“The evening was a great success and it is always tremendously exciting to see our top producers being rewarded for their efforts,” says Deon Saayman, General Manager of Mohair South Africa. “Our partnership with Ermenegildo Zegna continues to strengthen and we look forward to many prosperous years ahead.”

The Ermenegildo Zegna Mohair Trophy was first instituted in 1970, and is awarded annually for the finest product of the precious fibre. South Africa is the only producer country of mohair to be sponsored by Ermenegildo Zegna, and judging parameters include: finesse, length, micron, clean yield and freeness from kemp. Fifteen bales were entered in this year’s edition.

Similarly, the purpose of the Ermenegildo Zegna South Africa Wool Trophy is to encourage wool growers to improve the fineness and quality of their wool. Points are awarded for fibre diameter, weight, quality, strength and evenness. A total of 87 fleeces were entered.

This year’s awards ceremony was a particularly special occasion as it marked the Centennial Anniversary year of Ermenegildo Zegna. It was also the first time that the two trophies were awarded at the same ceremony.

The complete list of mohair winners, in order, is as follows: FE Colborne & Sons (Willomore district), Snyberg Boerdery (De Rust), PH Viljoen (Kleinpoort), PCL Michau (Cradock), JL Retief & Seun (Murraysburg), Vleikuil Boerdery (Rietbron), BT Henderson (Steytlerville), AM Short (Graaff-Reinet), Oelofse Boerdery (Jansenville), Van Hasselt Farming (Prins Albert).