Fashion collection woven from Uruguayan wool by Mercedes Arocena and Lucía Benítez

Uruguayan designers Mercedes Arocena and Lucía Benítez created this collection of garments entirely using wool sourced from their native country.

Arocena and Benítez, who studied together at the Escuela Universitaria de Diseño in Montevideo, Uruguay, made their Dominga collection solely from local wool as a nod to the material's historical use in the country.

"Dominga comes as a result of an experimental investigation process that begins with the wool - a natural, sustainable and warm fibre that is part of our history and our culture," said the designers.

"We intended to intervene as far as we could, on the transformation process of the material, starting from the raw wool to the finished garment," they added.

Various craft techniques such as felting and embroidery were employed while making the pieces by hand. The duo reinterpreted traditional garments worn by gauchos - farmers that live and work in rural areas of South America.

A ruana - a blanket worn over the shoulders - has been drawn in at the waist by a woven belt with a frayed skirt-like hem. A belt is also incorporated into a patterned poncho, fed through holes around the midriff to give the garment more shape.

Vertical folds of fabric are layered into a shin-length skirt as a twist on a chiripá, traditionally a cross between a skirt and trousers. Squares of material are staggered on top of each other to form the large flared bottom of a dress, which also features oversized half-length sleeves.

Details on the garments were created by platting strands of the material into lengths that were stitched onto the clothes or formed into lasso-like loops.

The collection was awarded at the Mittelmoda fashion contest in Italy last November.