THE WORLD WOOL FORUM
Rome, October 2–3, 2025
THE WORLD WOOL FORUM brings together international leaders in the design, fashion, interior and textile fields as well as farmers, thinkers and innovators doing inspiring work. The intention of this 2-day conference is to provide a platform for sharing, exchange and collaboration, forecasting the future of wool fibres while preserving sheep husbandry, animal welfare and craft heritage. The conference is hosted by Isabella Rossellini, Li Edelkoort and Ilaria Venturini Fendi in partnership with Philip Fimmano, the World Hope Forum, and international industry supporters. This inspiring in-person event has limited availability of 50 seats, so book early to avoid disappointment!
OUR SPECIAL VENUE: I CASALI DEL PINO, ROME
It is often said that if you are lucky, one day you will find your own special place of the soul. Ilaria Venturini Fendi considers herself very lucky, not only because of the name she proudly bears, celebrated all over the world as a synonym of style and quality, but also because she found her special place a few kilometres from home, over the hills of I Casali del Pino. As a designer at her family’s firm she was enjoying a successful and rewarding career. But when she came across I Casali del Pino, forgotten memories of her instinctive relationship with nature were recalled from childhood. It was in 2004 that she radically changed her lifestyle, leaving fashion for organic farming. Immediately after buying the farm, she started with great determination and perseverance its conversion to organic. A careful study of the area’s morphology and climate provided the guidelines for the conservative restoration of various rural buildings, many of which were in ruins. There, seasons change no longer according to fashion collections, but rather to the cycles of nature. Of the farm, she says “To have my own piece of land and spend more time in the countryside has always been my secret dream… Also as a designer, I find this place inspiring and perfectly harmonised with my two souls, one that feeds on creativity and the other longing for a close contact with nature”.
CONFERENCE HOSTS:
Isabella Rossellini is an Italian actress, model and farmer. She is noted for her successful tenure as a Lancôme model and an established career in American and European cinema. In 2013, she co-founded Mama Farm in Belport, NY, to foster the next generation of environmental stewards. In 2019, she graduated from Hunter College with a Master’s Degree in Animal Behaviour.
Li Edelkoort is a trend forecaster, publisher, humanitarian, educator and exhibition curator. In 2015, she established an MFA Textile masters at Parsons and New York Textile Month. In 2020, she co-founded the World Hope Forum to inspire the creative community to rebuild a better society.
Ilaria Venturini Fendi is a former fashion and accessories designer and served as Creative Director of Fendi. Since 2003, she has become an organic farmer and reuses reclaimed materials through her sustainable brand Carmina Campus.
INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
Blátnaid Gallagher — wool
Pascale Gatzen — wool
Lindsay Girvan — wool
Daniel Harris — wool
Frances van Hasselt — mohair
Cynthia Hathaway — wool
Reina Ovinge — wool
Kavita Parmar — wool
Sabrina Stadlober — alpaca
Oyuna Tserendorj — cashmere
More speakers to be announced soon!
2-DAY PROGRAMME*
Thursday, October 2nd: IDENTITY & PLACE
13:00-14:00 Welcome lunch & registration
14:15 Introduction by Philip Fimmano
14:30 Opening keynote by Li Edelkoort
15:10 Sabrina Stadlober — alpaca
15:40 Oyuna Tserendorj — cashmere
16:20 Kavita Parmar — wool
16:10 Pascale Gatzen — wool
17:10 Cynthia Hathaway — wool
17:40 Speaker to be announced
18:10 Closing remarks
18:15 Meet & touch
19:00 Celebration dinner (by invitation)
Friday, October 3rd: FARM & FUTURE
9:00 Guided tour of I Casali del Pino (by invitation)
10:00 Doors open
10:15 Introduction by Philip Fimmano
10:20 Keynote by Isabella Rossellini
11:00 Reina Ovinge — wool
11:30 Blatnaid Gallagher — wool
12:00 Lindsay Girvan & Ben Cadell — wool
12:30-13:45 Lunch
14:00 Frances van Hasselt — mohair
14:30 Daniel Harris — wool
15:00 Speaker to be announced
15:30 Closing remarks by Isabella Rossellini, Li Edelkoort & Philip Fimmano
15:45 End of programme
* The programme is subject to minor changes
GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS INCLUDE:
— 2-day pass to the conference
— Italian lunch on both days
VIP PASSES INCLUDE:
— 2 tickets to the 2-day conference
— Private lunch on both days with the speakers & hosts
— Celebration dinner with the speakers & hosts
— Guided tour of I Casali del Pino
PRICES:
€250 — General Admission
€1000 — VIP Pass for 2 people (including private lunches & celebration dinner with speakers & hosts)
* please email ragna@edelkoort.com to receive your discount code
ACCOMMODATION
Attendees are requested to book their own travel arrangements and accommodation. A small number of hotel rooms are available at the venue; please email philip@edelkoort.com to be placed on a waiting list.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES & PRESS INTERVIEWS:
Please contact philip@edelkoort.com for more information
Lidewij Edelkoort is arguably the world's most renowned trend forecaster, working in industries from fashion to food, design, architecture, tech, communication, automotive and retail. Founded in 1986, her company Trend Union produces trend tools for strategists, designers and marketers at brands from Zara to Prada. She is also a publisher, humanitarian, educator and exhibition curator. Edelkoort has been named one of the Most Influential People in Fashion and one of the Most Influential People in Design. Written in 2014, her much-talked about ANTI_FASHION Manifesto was the first to raise awareness about the shifts and upheavals currently experienced in the global fashion industry. From 1998-2008 she was Chairwoman of Design Academy Eindhoven before moving to New York from 2015-2020 where she was Dean of Hybrid Design Studies at Parsons, establishing an MFA Textile masters and New York Textile Month. In 2020, in response to the covid-19 pandemic, she co-founded the World Hope Forum as a platform to inspire the creative community to rebuild a better society. Edelkoort's latest publications include Proud South (2022), Uxua Utopia (2022), and Proud South Craft (2025), each of which celebrate the creative talent of the Global South.