The Art of Wool exhibition debuted in Armidale last year and will now visit seven locations in the next two years, including Dubbo between March and May next year.

The exhibition pairs stunning merino wool garments from International Woolmark Prize alumni, including Dion Lee, Kym Ellery, Rahul Mishra and Christopher Esber, with significant pieces of Australian art.

New pieces have been added to highlight the evolution of the coveted fashion award, including outfits from the 2014/15 International Woolmark Prize womenswear winner M Patmos as well as 2015/16 nominees Celeste Tesoriero, Taro Horiuchi and Etxeberria.

"The Art of Wool exhibition is a unique way to expose a wider audience to the fantastic design talent the International Woolmark Prize unearths both here in Australia and from abroad," AWI CEO Stuart McCullough explained.

"AWI has worked closely alongside NERAM since the initial stages of the exhibition and has played an integral role in connecting outfits from the International Woolmark Prize with artworks that highlight the Australian wool industry. I encourage everyone to visit the exhibition if it comes to a gallery near you."

Artworks from NERAM's extensive collection of Australian art highlight the significance of wool in the artistic and design imagination of Australia.

With an emphasis on the work of young and emerging international fashion designers, stunning garments chosen from the International Woolmark Prize archives complement these pieces of visual art.

"The Art of Wool exhibition brings together artworks from the nationally significant art collections held at New England Regional Art Museum in Armidale, alongside garments from the International Woolmark Prize archive at Australian Wool Innovation, the owners of The Woolmark Company," NERAM Art Museum Director Robert Heather said.

"This exhibition has been a great opportunity for us to work directly with the wool industry to showcase the beautiful artworks in our collection, the quality of Australian wool production and the innovative fashion designers who use it in their work."

The Art of Wool is presented by AWI and NERAM and has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Ministry of the Arts' Visions of Australia program.

The Art of Wool tour locations and dates: