the campaign
What is the Campaign for Wool?
The Campaign for Wool was initiated in October 2008 by His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, who had observed that the wool industry was facing enormous and unprecedented challenges.
The price of wool had plummeted to the point where farmers were being paid less for their sheeps’ fleeces than the cost of having them shorn.
At the same time, sheep numbers were declining across the world, from Britain to Australia and New Zealand, and some farmers were losing confidence in the future of the wool industry.
A parallel threat came from new man-made synthetic fibres, often oil-based, which were providing stiff competition in the areas where wool had traditionally triumphed – fashion, carpets and insulation.
The Prince of Wales formed an apocalyptic view of what the future for wool might hold, unless something could be done. Without a thriving wool industry, and with further declines in the sheep population, the physical appearance of our landscape could change forever. Imagine the Cumbrian uplands deprived of sheep, or the Scottish and Welsh mountains, or the sheep stations of Australia and New Zealand. Were we really to enter an era when the wool trade, which has thrived and prospered since the Middle Ages, would be sidelined by man-made fibres?
And what would the environmental implications be? Wool is one of the most environmentally friendly and sustainable of fibres. At a time when concerns about landfills occupy us all, why on earth were we turning our backs on wool?
These were the issues which provoked the HRH the Prince of Wales into convening a meeting over dinner at Clarence House with a diverse group of stakeholders with a connection to wool – from sheep experts to wool marketeers, wool traders to fashion designers and carpet manufacturers.
From this initial meeting grew the Campaign for Wool, with all sectors working together in unprecedented harmony to promote and champion wool and help reinvigorate the global wool industry.
Who is involved in the Campaign for Wool?
The main players are representatives of the International Wool Textile Organisation, representatives of the British Wool Marketing Board, representatives of Australian Wool Innovation, and key industry figures from the National Sheep Association, New Zealand, Norway and important sheep producing nations of the world.
The Campaign also embraces leading figures from the fashion industry, the decorating and design industry, the wool carpets industry and the world of insulation and building. The Campaign works closely with manufacturers and retailers across the world.
The Campaign is multi-national, multi-sector and inclusive, and tries to embrace all sections of wool users from the very largest companies to specialist artisans.
The Chairman of the Campaign for Wool is John Thorley OBE, a former Chief Executive of the National Sheep Association who also Chairs the Prince of Wales’ Campaign to popularise mutton, among several other countryside institutions. The Vice Chairman is Nicholas Coleridge CBE, the magazine publisher and author, who is Managing Director of the Condé Nast magazine group in London, and former Chairman of the British Fashion Council.
What has the Campaign achieved so far?
Within weeks of launch, plans for the Campaign’s first Wool Week were well advanced. Consumer-facing and retail-driven, the October 2010 Wool Week signed up 70 fashion brands, half a dozen national department stores and almost 1,000 carpet independents to participate in the Campaign.
For a week, special window displays were devoted to wool merchandise across the country, including in Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, Marks & Spencer, Liberty, House of Fraser, Debenhams and Jigsaw.
The John Lewis Partnership was another key supporter of Wool Week, as were Alice Temperley, Aquascutum, Austin Reed, Daks, Hackett, Hobbs, Jasper Conran, Jaeger, Johnstons of Elgin, LK Bennett, Lyle & Scott, Paul Smith, Pringle and The Shop at Bluebird.
The dozen top tailors of Savile Row backed the Campaign with a high profile sheep fair in the middle of their specially-turfed street. Selfridges paraded yellow sheep along Oxford Street in support of the Campaign. The London Design Centre at Chelsea Harbour built installations in support of the Campaign, and dozens of designer showrooms displayed the Campaign’s logos and swing tags. The Society of British Interior Designers worked with the Campaign to present a prize for the sustainable use of wool to Starbucks and its design team. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of posters and swing tags were distributed across the country, amplifying the key messages of the Campaign. An extensive PR campaign across fashion, style and interior magazines secured mentions in over two hundred publications, as well as national newspapers.
The Campaign for Wool has been involved in events across the country, from Bradford to Wales, and been consistently supported in its endeavours by its Patron, the Prince of Wales.
Is it working?
Since the Campaign for Wool was officially launched by the Prince of Wales in February 2010, it has devised numerous initiatives to raise the profile of wool. In PR terms, favourable coverage of wool in national newspapers, magazines and on radio and TV has been boosted significantly, and there are indications that consumers are responding with a greater respect and demand for wool.
In recent months, the price of wool at the farm gate has increased threefold, with sheep farmers receiving higher prices for their clip. There is a growing confidence about the future of the whole industry. The Campaign still has miles to go, but there is a definite momentum.
What are the future plans?
The Campaign has a full and diverse programme of events for 2011. We will continue to work closely with retail partners, promoting the wonders of wool, and will also be working much more closely with the artisan community across the whole country – the spinners, weavers and designers, both large and small, who have always been great local champions for the fibre.
The Campaign will have a presence at several important events, including Grand Designs and Premiere Vision, and many regional events which connect wool to the artisan community.
Wool Week in the UK this year runs from Monday September 5th to Sunday September 11th, with windows and events throughout the nation, including a Love Wool initiative to encourage knitters across Britain to get involved.
A major exhibition of Wool, titled Wool Modern, takes place in London for much of the month of September at La Galleria on Pall Mall. This exhibition will showcase the best of design in wool in fashion, carpets and insulation, and aims to include work by many of the world’s top fashion designers, and carpets by some of the great manufacturers. It will include wools from around the world, and is intended to inspire and educate.
Many of the leading design and textile colleges have already booked to bring classes of students to Wool Modern, which will, of course, also be open to the general public. Wool celebrations during September span London Fashion Week and Decorex.
In March, the Campaign for Wool was formally launched in Australia, with a large gala fashion show in Sydney, drawing many of Australia’s top designers including Collette Dinnigan, Josh Goot, Jenny Kee and more. The launch was extensively covered by press including news coverage on Channel 9 TV, The Daily Telegraph, Vogue and Grazia magazines.
In October the Northern Hemisphere will begin to praise wool with International Wool Week – a promotion set to encourage understanding of the natural wool fibre and its amazing versatility throughout six major global cities that are watched for fashion and interiors trends, as well as providing the opportunity for increased wool consumption.
Cities include Tokyo, Dusseldorf, Amsterdam, Oslo, New York City and Madrid.
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales speaks about the Campaign for Wool and the natural benefits of the wool fibre:
