Calling all designers and brands: want to work with wool, but don’t know where to start?
Image: Harriet Fletcher-Gilhuys, team member from The Great British Wool Revival consultancy Credit: Harriet Fletcher-Gilhuys
The hard-to-navigate system of ensuring provenance, ethical and sustainable supply chains is core to any brand keen to drive and embed good practice into their business. For anyone looking at wool we have developed the innovative mapping process which unlocks this process from farmers all the way through with the Great British Wool Revival – the first mapping of UK and Irish wool and supply chain partners - of its kind. We have now taken to the next level with our Great British Wool Revival consultancy headed by our wool expert Harriet Fletcher-Gilhuys.
“Working with UK and Irish wool, farmers and supply chain logistics can be overwhelming so we are here to assist your needs and make the process as smooth as possible,” says Harriet.
Why wool?
Wool was the backbone of the UK economy from Medieval to Georgian times. Many towns have a sign as you enter telling travellers this was a wool town. We have millions of sheep in the UK, but if it costs more to shear the sheep than the farmer makes from the wool at sale, what incentive is there for the farmers to breed sheep with softer fleeces and what knowledge and training do designers have in the brilliance and diversity of UK wool as a luxury textile? How are we embedding localism, revitalising UK wide supply chains and reducing the over-reliance on complex foreign supply chains? These were the questions we asked at Fashion Roundtable in the development of the Great British Wool Revival. For us it was a no-brainer, if we could revitalise UK wool usage, what does this mean for other indigenous fibres such as linen and flax?
Over several years Fashion Roundtable has committed to revitalising the existing fractured, disconnected and broken wool supply chain in the UK and Ireland, speaking with stakeholders ranging from farmers to designers, micro entrepreneurs and multinational organisations. You name it from farmers, makers, spinners, dyers, iconoclastic stakeholders, academics, to brands and policy makers, we have engaged with and learnt from their issues, ambitions, and understood what they need to switch to using British wool. In 2022 we hosted two roundtables (one in Mayfair and one in collaboration with Welsh social enterprise Menter Môn). We collated evidence, ideas, and solutions on how to combat the effects of Brexit, Covid, and the impact of the UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement all of which have led to a sharply decreasing wool price, hugely impacting farmers. We also learnt of a surprising lack of awareness by fashion educators, designers and buyers of the softness and usability of UK wool breeds for knitwear and luxury clothing.
We launched The Great British Wool Revival in September 2024, in collaboration with The King’s Foundation and YOOX Net-a-Porter. This open-source resource continues to support designers and makers who want to work with British wool in a regenerative way, from farm to fabric, with a clear provenance story. In just over 6 months we have had over 200 businesses join the GBWR Mapping and are excited to see interest in, and usage of British wool with a localism and provenance narrative embedded into brand storytelling and business opportunities across the UK.
Aside from the carbon reduction and provenance storytelling opportunities for brands in using UK wool (and we know Gen Z and Gen A consumers are increasingly asking for this level of rigour from brands they purchase from), we could see there needed to be a strong narrative to countermand the dominance of merino wool in fashion education, knitwear training and brand designs. The lack of joined-up information for designers and brands who wanted to work with British wool, but didn’t know where to begin, has culminated in the way British wool was spoken about – that it was “itchy, unavailable within short-lead times and not at the right micron-count for the fashion sector.” You might be asking what's a Micron? It is the measurement unit used to explain the thickness of the individual wool fibre. One micron is one millionths of a metre. The lower the micron count the finer the wool, and therefore the higher the commercial value. British wool normally sits between 29 to 35 microns. Meaning the more opportunity farmers have to sell their wool, the more likely they are to breed sheep for fibre usage, the less reliance the UK has on Australian and NZ wool, and the more money the UK makes from farming and embedded in UK wide supply chains. This therefore is not just an ethical solution, it is a sustainability and business one as well.
Different sheep breeds produce wool of different micron counts. Bluefaced Leicester are a sheep breed which has a subtle sheen and a soft texture, at around 26 to 27 micron fibre. This is a highly valuable wool with a cashmere-like luxury softness. HERD, the Cotswolds based brand (who are on our GBWR map) only uses their own herd of Bluefaced Leicester wool and a 150 mile radius supply chain So it can be done HERD’s Founder and CEO Ruth Alice Rands said:
“HERD is our mindset. Our philosophy goes beyond sustainability to have a positive impact on the environment and those we work with. Rooted in profound respect for the land and soil, we have a place-based materials-first approach. It’s where elegant age-old tradition meets uncompromising planetary values, and how we make modern heirlooms with heritage sensibilities.”
The Consultancy
The Great British Wool Revival wants to make the process of using British wool as smooth as possible. For the GBWR consultancy we have expert knowledge of British wool breeds, natural dyes, best-case practice and communications storytelling for start-to-finish product advice, guidance and marketing.
What does this look like?
A free 15-minute discovery call with the team to talk about your brand, needs and requirements.
From this, we will then create a bespoke end-to-end fully guided service from sourcing the right British wool breed for your designer, to the option of natural dyeing skills, through to UK manufacturing and production access and information.
Opportunity to visit Nibthwaite Grange Farm in the beautiful Lake District to understand at first hand, British sheep farming, the process of working with British wool on their Stoll knitting machine and learning these skills in a stunning rural environment.
Hourly, day or project agreement with a full tailored support package.
All of your questions and answers resolved to leave you confident to work with British wool and create beautiful sellable designs with a sustainable and ethical narrative alongside a luxury finish.
Commitment to lessen your carbon footprint and embed ethics and sustainability into your business practice.
Communications playbook to share your British Wool provenance storytelling successfully with your customers.
Harriet’s story
“ I have spent over five years working with British wool. Why was it not taught at university and why are we not encouraged to use it in fashion? I often asked myself during my undergraduate degree course in Fashion Knitwear Design and Knitted Textiles. When I started university, I made it my mission to unpick this narrative. In my second year, during placement I got offered a position at Fernhill Farm in Bristol to learn about shearing British sheep, spinning wool and understanding holistic farming methods often referred to as ‘Regenerative Agriculture’.
"I was shocked by the lack of British wool that actually ends up being used in fashion due to our heavy reliance on both merino and synthetic yarns. This was new knowledge to me and something that Jen Hunter at Fernhill Farm taught me very early on during my training at Fernhill. It made me question how I was being taught Fashion Knitwear Design at a leading university, and ask myself why no-one has ever taught me about British wool, yarn and its properties?
“The fashion industry just says it’s so scratchy and uncomfortable, it just ends up going into carpets or being burnt, it’s a missed opportunity,’ was something Jen often said to us in frustration.
“After completing my placement year, I returned to university and made it my mission to make a 100% biodegradable fashion knitwear collection, using only British wool and natural dyes. It was shocking to see the lack of technical knowledge, from machine suitability on Dubied, Domestic and Shima Seiki knitting machines, to final finishings and trims, everything was a battle. I often sought technical advice from various technicians and websites and the common mantra was that British wool is not suitable for garments and it will never compare to merino wool.
“When I finally completed my collection, I was overwhelmed with the results, from the high quality finishes and aesthetic appeal, to the incredible story, narrative and provenance that can be attached to the collection. People would pick up my garments and be amazed that I could tell them the exact flock that they came from, the dyes used and miles involved from field to final piece.
“From this, I wanted to make British wool more accessible to designers and makers like myself. This was the core research for my Masters at The Royal College of Art. If we want to see industry change, we have to both educate and teach these lost skills, and push their sustainable and their provenance storytelling, if we are to see more British wool used and back in fashion again. Given Patrick Grant of BBC’s Sewing Bee fame is now exploring using British wool for his Yorkshire based company Community Clothing, I am excited to see work we at Fashion Roundtable have started, leading this zeitgeist.”
Want to learn more: email Harriet to book your call