Campaign for Wool promotion in the UK
The Campaign for Wool’s annual Wool Month in the UK returned this year during October to promote the natural and sustainable benefits of the fibre and to encourage consumers to ‘Check It’s Wool’ when they are purchasing products.
Launched in 2010 The Campaign for Wool continues to raise awareness amongst consumers about the unique, natural, renewable and biodegradable benefits offered by the fibre.
In May this year, the Campaign was honoured to announce that HM King Charles III has agreed to remain as its patron. The Campaign for Wool was HM The King’s personal initiative in 2008 when he was The Prince of Wales.
With support from Woolmark and other Commonwealth wool bodies, the Campaign has been instrumental in helping educate consumers about the versatility of wool, and reconnecting them with its myriad uses – from luxurious, fine Merino wool apparel through to beautiful, hardwearing interior products for the home.
Campaign for Wool patron King Charles III with Queen Camilla in Sydney during their visit to Australia in October. PHOTO: Brook Mitchell
Wool Month in the UK
Wool Month in the UK was this year launched at an event in London hosted by Sir Nicholas Coleridge, Chairman of the Campaign for Wool. The event’s gallery space was designed as an educational walk-through highlighting wool from different breeds of sheep, from superfine Merino wool to the broader microns, and the wide variety of wool fabrics and commercial products made from each wool type.
Throughout Wool Month, there was a series of UK-wide activities, in-store retailer events, panel discussions and product launches from brands. There are more now than a thousand supporters involved in the Campaign for Wool. UK brands that launched new designs to celebrate Wool Month this year included Aubin, Brora, Johnstons of Elgin, Jaeger, John Smedley, Smalls Merino, M&S and more.
For this year’s Wool Month, the call to action was to ‘Check It’s Wool’, encouraging shoppers to make positive, conscious natural fibre choices when choosing the products they want.
Towards the end of Wool Month, a trade event hosted by Peter Ackroyd MBE, COO Campaign for Wool, was held in Bradford, Yorkshire, which was attended by representatives from many of the region’s mills and other stakeholders. At the event, Woolmark gave a presentation, including a showing of the ‘Wear Wool, Not Waste’ video (see page 36), which was widely appreciated by the audience.
Earlier that day, International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO) President Klaus Steger addressed a meeting of local wool processors about the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) project in the European Union and the importance of the Make the Label Count campaign. UK mills have raised €150,000 to help fund the campaign.
Other highlight initiatives of Wool Month
‘Making It’ project with Vitale Barberis Canonico
The five young tailors in front of London's iconic Wellington Arch, pictured with writer Paul Croughton and Francesco Barberis Canonico.
Campaign for Wool collaborated with 360-year-old, family-owned, Italian mill Vitale Barberis Canonico in a project titled ‘Making It’, which filmed the journeys of five young British tailors as they created individual bespoke pieces using Australian Merino wool fabrics from the historic mill.
In a series of short films, the five tailors shared their passion for craftsmanship, bespoke, sustainability and wool. Another short film in the series featured Francesco Barberis Canonico, who is 13th generation of the family-owned mill, sharing his vision for the future of tailoring.
The five tailors’ bespoke creations were on display during Wool Month at a special ‘Making it’ event in London at which there was also a special discussion, hosted by writer Paul Croughton, about sustainability, craft, style, and the art of bespoke.
John Smedley circularity project
Merino wool apparel from John Smedley that contains a blend of virgin and recycled wool.
British knitwear manufacturer John Smedley announced a circularity project that utilises recycled Merino yarns created in partnership with iinouiio – a Yorkshire-based textile recycling mill located 50 miles from John Smedley’s headquarters in Derbyshire. Waste yarns from John Smedley’s production process are collected from the factory floor and made into new yarns with 50% virgin Merino wool and 50% recycled Merino wool, which are then knitted into products available to buy at www.johnsmedley.com.
Walker Slater’s ‘Journey with Wool’
Two of Walker Slater’s signature styles made with a lightweight tweed woven from fine Merino wool.
In collaboration with the Campaign for Wool, Woolmark and Harris Tweed Hebrides, tailor and clothing brand Walker Slater held an instore event in London to highlight the visual and tactile ‘Journey of Wool’ from shearing to garment. Different wool types were highlighted as the perfect styling partners, including fine Merino knitwear pieces and fine worsted tailoring. Founded in 1989 in the Scottish Highlands, Walker Slater has stores in Edinburgh and Glasgow as well as London. www.walkerslater.com
‘Women in Tailoring’ celebrate wool
AWI’s The Wool Lab sourcing guide was a big hit at the event. PHOTO: Rikesh Chauhan RKZ
A ‘Women in Tailoring’ event was held to highlight the importance of women in the whole wool manufacturing, design and tailoring pipeline. AWI’s European Product Marketing Manager Rebecca Kelley was the host presenter and showcased The Wool Lab sourcing guide. There was a key panel discussion on trends and design in wool textiles, with representatives from Dormeuil, Moon, Holland & Sherry, Harris Tweed Hebrides, Eco Luxe and Campaign for Wool.
More information: www.campaignforwool.org
Woolmark and the Campaign for Wool
Woolmark in London has a close, collaborative, working relationship with the Campaign for Wool which provides a further platform for Woolmark to promote Australian wool and Woolmark certification to a broader range of UK mills, brands, retailers, educators and the media.
Furthermore, the presence of Woolmark at joint events, as a representative of the world’s largest and predominant wool-growing nation, presents a united front for wool which is appreciated and valued by UK textile industry stakeholders.
As well as supporting Wool Month, Woolmark holds other collaborative events in the UK during the year with the Campaign for Wool. Below are two examples.
‘Exploring the potential of wool’ at London Craft Week
During London Craft Week in May, the Woolmark UK team in partnership with Campaign for Wool and The Mills Fabrica venue hosted a panel discussion exploring the potential of wool. Notable guests included representatives from the UK Fashion and Textile Association, Paul Smith, Burberry, John Smedley and Rapha.
At the event, attendees heard from experts discussing topics including innovative approaches to designing with wool, creating wool fabrics and products in the circular economy, commercialising new technologies, and the evolving legislative landscape. In addition to the discussions and networking, product innovations from Woolmark and panellists, plus The Wool Lab sourcing guide, were on display.
‘Rediscovering one of nature’s most innovative fibres’ at London Design Week
In September, as part of the Material Matters trade show in London, Woolmark in collaboration with Campaign for Wool hosted a panel-led talk titled ‘Wool: Rediscovering One of Nature’s Most Innovative Fibres’. Chaired by IWTO Secretary General, Dalena White, the panel comprised AW Hainsworth Managing Director Amanda McLaren, Merino woolgrower Lesley Prior, and founder of textile innovator BYBORRE Borre Akkersdijk.
The panel delved into wool’s potential to support a more sustainable future, exploring its role in reducing the textile industry’s reliance on synthetic materials. Experts discussed wool as a circular and regenerative fibre, its unique position at the crossroads of heritage and technology, and how wool is one of nature’s most remarkable innovations.
