Campaign for Wool | Wool Week 2016

Campaign for Wool was launched in 2010 by HRH, The Prince of Wales as patron of the campaign, with the aim to educate and engage the consumer about the benefits of wool and reverse the decline of the wool industry. This week, 10th-16th October marks Wool Week UK.

Why should we choose wool?

Wool is an incredibly diverse fibre, a natural fibre sheared from a sheep’s fleece. For thousands of years, it has provided all-weather protection, perfect for Fisherman who battled extreme weather conditions. Wool is renewable as every year, sheep will grow a new fleece; it is also biodegradable, as when it decomposes it releases valuable nutrients back into the earth.
Wool also is a natural insulator, as the humidity changes it absorbs and releases water vapour. This is done by its unique structure that is tightly packed creating small pockets of air, it’s crimped structure, therefore, makes the fibre breathable.

Another plus to this structure, wool is very efficient in absorbing sweat and releasing it into the air before bacteria has a chance to develop, making it odour resistant! Its high water content also makes wool naturally flame-retardant.
It’s crimpy structure also gives the fibre a natural elasticity, enabling it to comfortably move with the wearer and return to its natural shape; this means your knitted jumper with not sag and lose its shape but adds value to a product by having a long lifespan.

At GS, I work with heritage yarn mills in the UK for our lambswool and mills in Italy for our merino wool. I heard a statistic this week that wool makes up 1.3% of the global textile market, I am researching this now and will work hard to promote and support the wool industry further as this is a scary statistic! Throughout my collections, you will see an increase in wool innovation and custom yarn blends with local herds to celebrate the potential of this natural fibre.

What can you do to celebrate Wool Week UK and get involved? Campaign for Wool have opened the first ever “Wool B&B”, located in De Beauvoir Town, North London, the B&B will showcase a broad range of creative possibilities of woollen products, styled by leading interiors stylist, Karina Garrick. This incredible installation shows a vibrant and fun world of wool through interiors, fashion and specialises wool products- ” a reflection of living with wool and experiencing its many performance benefits to creating the perfect wool home.”

You’ll find some of my woollen designs in the “Wool-kin wardrobe” such as the Rea lambswool jumper, Sia and Sarina merino scarf. We are also on the Wool Map, for exclusive offers on Thursday 13th October and getting involved with Woolly Hat Day on Friday 14th October to raise money for The Mission for Seafarers.