About us
Horrocks Vale
What do you get when a couture bridal designer of 25 years marries a fine Merino wool grazier? A Sustainable, Wool-Based Luxury Wedding Dress Collection of course!
My family and I grow fine Merino wool on our property, Horrocks Vale a majestic piece of land, southeast of Port Augusta in South Australia.
What if I told you everything you thought you knew about wool was wrong?
My name is Nikki Atkinson and I am a fashion and bridal designer and wife of a wool grazier for 19 years. In that time I’ve become utterly obsessed with the fibre for textile use, consistently amazed at its unexpected silky soft texture (no… its not heavy or scratchy!) and amazing application qualities.
If you had told me 10 years ago I’d be designing wedding gowns made out of wool I would have told you you were crazy but I am now so excited to be able to bring my two loves together and create a garment that not only conveys classic beauty but aligns with environmentally friendly movement in the fashion industry.
Paired with laces, beaded fabrics and silks, this collection is one of my favourites to date and I’m incredibly honoured to be able to share it with you.
Farm to Fashion
Wool is the future of sustainable fashion and lucky for me…I know a supplier! Horrocks Vale is a sheep property, southwest of Port Augusta in South Australia and it’s also my family home. We have been running fine Merino wool sheep here since 1971.
Wool is 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable meaning less carbon emissions into our air, less polluted water and does not contribute to microplastic pollution in our oceans or on our land.
Our gowns are 100% Australian made, designed and made by my hands in the studio. From the raw material stage on the property to the design and development of the final garment!
The benefits of wool
Wool is an environmentally positive fibre with a number of sustainable benefits as well as being incredibly breathable, non-allergenic and super silky soft! It’s for those reasons that wool is the future of sustainable fashion and thankfully for the planet, is being used in more and more garments globally.
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No other fibre, natural or man-made, can match all of wool’s naturally inherent benefits.
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Wool is 100% biodegradable so it does not contribute to microplastic pollution in our oceans or on our land.
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Wool uses 18% less energy than polyester and nearly 70% less water than cotton to produce 100 sweaters.
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Wool is a natural fibre, grown on farms where the resources required are water, food and in the case of our sheep…love! Then once the fibre is processed, turned into a garment and then eventually exhausted, the fibre readily biodegrades, releasing its nutrients to the soil to be used again.
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Wool is an active fibre that reacts to changes in the body's temperature, keeping the wearer comfortable.
Accordingly, wool garments are one of the most breathable of all the common apparel types. Its natural resistance to odour is interestingly another key reason why wool wins for activewear!
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Merino wool in particular is so super fine, finer than human hair and can be softer than cashmere. Merino wool makes up just 1% of the world’s fibre for apparel – true luxury.
Supporting women and children affected by domestic violence
A percentage of all Horrocks Vale Collections profits goes to Domestic Violence Australia - working to free Australian women and children from all forms of violence and abuse.