Bridal boutiques are usually brimming with bright brocade, crepe, satin, silk, lace and organza.
But South Australian wedding dress couturier Nikki Atkinson always felt there was one thing missing from her repertoire: wool.
"A girlfriend came to me 22 years ago, she was from a property in Broken Hill, and she wanted a wool wedding dress," Nikki said.
"We looked everywhere to find a suitable fibre — even her dad was on the hunt for fabric — but we just couldn't find it."
That memory lingered as she sold her Betrothed boutique in Adelaide, married a sheep grazier and moved to the family's Merino farm in the Flinders Ranges.
She has since tapped into the fine, soft qualities of Merino wool to launch a bespoke wedding dress brand capturing the hearts of country couples.
One bride is set to wear a wool dress to honour her farmer beau, while another is wearing the fabric to pay tribute to her family's long connection to the industry.
"A bride I'm working with, her grandfather used to class wool on our property many years ago," Nikki said.
"Wool is like a storyteller. The majority of my brides have that connection to the land."
Nikki has won the South Australian AgriFutures Rural Women's Award, celebrating Horrocks Vale Collections' new spin on the classic Australian fibre.
Merino wool has an elegant drape, natural temperature control and is more sustainable than synthetic materials.
And it's not scratchy like the hand-knitted jumpers many may remember from childhood, Nikki said.
"The beautiful thing is, it's such a clever fibre."
Sustainable and ethical fashion has also earned Tanya Egerton recognition as the Northern Territory winner of the AgriFutures award.
Tanya founded the Remote Op-shop Project, setting up second-hand stores in First Nations communities.
The shops give locals access to affordable items while generating income for cultural projects.
"My goal is to empower more local people to lead these community-owned and operated op-shops, so they can drive better outcomes for their communities and the environment," Tanya said.
“The Remote OpShop Project is developing a reuse and recycling hub ensuring high-quality, affordable goods are redirected from landfill and redistributed to remote First Nations communities, and thanks to the AgriFutures Rural Women’s Award, we will be able to scale with the development of a First Nations Leadership Council that will oversee this game-changing project.”
Westpac’s Brad Higgins said like the many Rural Women’s Award winners and alumni before her, Tanya represents a “new generation of industry pioneers whose knowledge and expertise give life to new opportunities for business and local rural communities”.