Farm to closet
House and Leisure chats with POLO creative director Alia Peer about their latest Merino wool collection and its slower, more intentional approach – rooted in Karoo landscapes, local craftsmanship and the enduring value of natural fibres
As fashion continues to grapple with overproduction and disposability, creative director of POLO South Africa Alia Peer reflects on the thinking behind the brand’s AW’26 Merino wool collection – from the influence of the natural environment to responsible sourcing, slower systems and the emotional value of clothing designed to last.
House and Leisure: You reference the Karoo as a major inspiration for the palette and mood of the collection. What particular moments, textures, or memories from that landscape directly informed specific garments?
Alia Peer: The sheer drama of the landscape, and driving these undulating bends along the Pienaarsbaken area is probably one of the most beautiful, memorable drives.
There are these dramatic reds from the clay soil interspersed with the soft, native blonde grasses that glow in the light on the side of the road. They almost frame the road and leads one’s eye to the larger, darker green bushes. So we played with these colour tones with a deep red, dark green and light camel combination. Everything is melange, so multiple colours are mixed together. There was a beautiful ancient rock wall on the farm that we were staying at that blended all the colours – sands, camels, stones. So we have a light sandy camel, and await our oatmeal melange, which was inspired by the roadside grasses. And then the sky totally contrasts as a ceiling to it all with just vast, open blue sky. We have a ribbed knit in denim melange that is a tribute to this
H&L: Why was it important to root this collection so firmly in South African sourcing and manufacturing?
AP: Because it’s not commonly known that we are one of the top five producers of Merino wool in the world. South Africa is known for rooibos and proteas, yet so little is known about our wool. So we have this incredible homegrown resource right here, yet most of it is exported.
And of course it’s so sad that you can’t actually buy a warm Merino wool knit on the shop floor in a cold winter. So when supply chains don’t allow for a raw material to become a final, finished product in a country of origin, that seems like a problem that should be solved.
H&L: So, do you see working with local Merino wool as both a design choice and a broader cultural or environmental statement?
AP: It’s all of that. It’s a very luxurious fibre, so it’s the most beautiful, sought-after wool to use in the world. Seventy percent of our wool is RWS (Responsible Wool Standard) certified, so it’s a very high-quality fibre. Secondly, we need to support local production and manufacturing, and job creation is always a goal.
Environmentally, it is natural, biodegradable and has a long list of unique properties that cannot be mimicked by any other man-made or lab-grown fibre. It’s also beneficial because wool captures carbon, and you have a low carbon footprint keeping the supply chain in SA. So there are multiple win-wins.
The colours of POLO’s AW’26 Merino wool collection are not direct Pantone references – they’re about the play of light, hues and natural combinations drawn from the landscape.
H&L: The collection has been described as an evolution of the POLO archives. Which archival references felt especially relevant to reinterpret for today’s customer?
AP: We’ve always been a strong knitwear brand in our winter collections, embracing other wools like lambswool and cashmere. The men’s quarter-zip knit with a leather puller was very popular around 2015. It was in cotton, so we thought we’d try it in wool. We wanted to revive a bestseller and change the fabric base to make it more luxurious.
H&L: When designing these ‘essential knits,’ what details became most important in creating pieces people genuinely want to live in?
AP: Comfort is first, so we wanted them to feel like a sweater or cosy knit to live in. So we imagine where you’d be or what you’d be doing and design the piece accordingly. We have full zip-throughs that are more of an over-layer. The quarter-zips are versatile to dress up and down. We like pieces that transition between work and weekend so you can wear a piece more often. The leather pullers are handmade in Cape Town and add a lovely touch. And the ribbed sweaters are relaxed knits with great texture, designed more for weekends and being cosy around the house, etc…
H&L: Speaking of comfort – trend voices like Li Edelkoort describe wool as an emotional material tied to care and slower living. Do you think people are craving that sense of grounding in what they wear?
AP: Yes, I think humans love meaning. I think we seek to be rooted to the natural world in a haptic way. It’s our natural state, as we are nature. So when we embrace natural materials, we feel that emotion, we feel the life force. And we get energy from that.
H&L: The collection positions Merino wool as both luxurious and practical. What do you think people still misunderstand about wool as a modern fibre?
AP: I think that people who wear wool largely understand it. You already know it for its warmth and breathability. And of course you can’t toss it in the laundry basket like most other garments. We have had to talk more to it at store level and we have accompanying cards that talk to the wool care, but that there needs to be much more education around it for people who are new to it.
H&L: So, wool asks more of the wearer than fast, convenience-driven fashion – what does it represent to you as a luxury material?
AP: It is high maintenance. It isn’t about convenience, but if you want warmth, wool is king. I think luxury is about less is more. It’s about time and consideration and few pieces, but loving them and respecting them enough to want to care for them and keep them lasting long. And how it’s made, where it comes from, what its environmental impact is – for those that care, yes, it will always matter.
H&L: You describe clothing as something worth investing in and keeping. Do you think consumers are becoming more intentional about what they buy, or is fashion still driven by overconsumption?
AP: I think overconsumption and fast fashion are sadly here to stay. Because you can see the global growth of the big fast-fashion players as well as the landfills growing. But I think people who take pride in what they buy or practise more mindful consumption – there will always be a market for this. Even if it’s just being more conscious of fabrics or thrifting, I think the two approaches to consumption will always live in parallel.
Hopefully there will be more awareness around the environmental impact and high carbon footprint of fast fashion.
H&L: The World Wool Forum has spoken about rebuilding fashion around locality, traceability, repair and slower systems of production. Was the Farm-to-Closet initiative partly conceived as a response to the increasingly disconnected nature of fashion manufacturing?
AP: Yes, traceability was important, but it was more born out of wanting to use a natural fibre that we knew was in SA. This was the starting point, and then finding the right partners. We also wanted a cradle-to-cradle fibre because we looked at the impact of landfills and fast fashion – so wool became the solution.
H&L: Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest opportunity for South African wool and natural fibres within global fashion conversations?
AP: Realistically, wool accounts for less than 1% of global fibres. And with global agendas trying to create lab-grown everything, I think it is more about keeping the story and industry of wool alive so we don’t lose these precious natural fibres.
It’s becoming increasingly harder to find wool garments, so we need to protect it. But when communities work together, as we are currently in SA through Cape Wools and Twyg’s Textile Talks and the Karoo Wool Festival, I think we will hopefully see more wool products in SA.
