The Campaign for Wool celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2020 with a host of initiatives across the UK. At the same time, the Campaign for Wool in Canada, along with its parent body the Canadian Wool Council, took some bold steps toward transforming the Canadian wool landscape.
The International Wool Textile Organisation is pleased to welcome both Peter Ackroyd of the Campaign for Wool and Matthew J. Rowe of the Campaign for Wool Canada as speakers for its upcoming IWTO Congress.
A Fresh Look for Canadian Wool
The Campaign for Wool Canada, inaugurated in 2014 in Nova Scotia by HRH The Prince of Wales, has generated millions of media impressions in its mission to educate Canadian consumers on the benefits of wool. Yet a lack of connection across its domestic supply chain called out for a re-think.
The result: in October 2020, Campaign for Wool Canada launched a series of interior design and art projects which transformed 100% Canadian wool into stunning showroom rugs and needle-felted sculpture. Architectural Digest took notice and so did customers. After proving that Canadian wool can compete with the best of the world, the Campaign is moving ahead with ambitious plans to rebrand and revalue Canadian wool.
The path to a better industry will not be easy, but for the first time in many years the future for Canadian wool has never looked brighter. Join Matthew J. Rowe for insights into this extraordinary journey at the Wool Interiors Session of the Congress, taking place Tuesday 18 May at 15.30-16.30 CEST.
For more details and to register, visit iwto.org/congress-2021/
Campaign for Wool UK – Celebrating 10 Years
From running sheep on Savile Row, to an all-wool B&B, to a full-scale wool beach lodge on the Cornish coast, the Campaign for Wool is known for its innovative ways of engaging with brands, retail, and consumer across the UK.
The Campaign’s 10th year anniversary, by necessity, took place largely on social media. But what a year.
A celebratory scarf initiated by the Campaign’s Patron HRH The Prince of Wales, and designed in collaboration with Mother of Pearl’s Amy Powney, was manufactured by Johnstons of Elgin using a unique blend of Merino wools from Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa and British Bluefaced Leicester wool. Profits from the scarf will result in a donation to The Prince’s Foundation Future Textiles initiative of over £37,000.
A timeline of the Campaign’s events in the style of the Bayeux tapestry was created by artist Christopher Corr, launched in a virtual gallery tour, with individual hotspots of information for each piece to summarise the activities captured in each of the paintings.
And, with extraordinary levels of support from the retail, brand, and university partners across the UK, the Campaign’s Student Design Competition brought winners of 12 product categories to the forefront of wool design and innovation. Internationally, involvement from universities in New Zealand, Canada and South Africa led to additional opportunities for emerging talents in textile and fashion.
“The Student Design Competition is an ideal opportunity for the worlds of textile and fashion education to connect with industry in a series of collaborations that showcase the environmental credentials and diverse applications of wool in lifestyle and fashion,” says Peter Ackroyd, COO of The Campaign for Wool.
“By creating these partnership opportunities with leading brands, the students are able to add a strong commercial dimension to their course work in preparation for careers in the industry.”
Join Peter Ackroyd at the Opening Session on Monday 17 May at 13.00-14.00 CEST. He also hosts IWTO’s Retail Forum Chat Room on Thursday 20 May at 12.30-14.00 CEST, with panellists Simon Cotton, Olivier Segard and Veronica Bates Kassatly. For more details and to register, visit iwto.org/congress-2021/
The IWTO and Its Congress
The International Wool Textile Organisation was established 90 years ago to elevate and maintain standards in the wool industry. Today the IWTO members represent 23 countries and all stages of the wool pipeline.
The annual IWTO Congress is a highlight of the global wool textile industry calendar. From what’s driving wool sustainability to the latest market intelligence, the IWTO Congress features the leading wool topics of the day, with insights and analysis from industry professionals and experts.