Sustainable Fashion Businesses & Creatives' June Live Q&A: Responsible Wool

This is now available as a lesson in our Understanding Responsible Wool Production Masterclass: How Is Responsible Wool Farmed and Processed

Due to Covid-19 we moved our usually physical networking evenings online. Instead of the usual format, we had a cosy hour-long live Q&A with guest experts from across the fashion and creative industries to talk about ethical and sustainable fashion.

Topic: Responsible Wool Production

This aired on: Monday 22nd June 2020, 7-8pm BST

Guest Speakers:

Babs Behan - Bristol Cloth and Botanical Inks

The local and regeneratively produced Bristol Cloth project was managed by Babs, who also founded natural dye business Botanical Inks. Both enterprises champion local production, low impact farming, textile education and building community.

Jen Hunter - Fernhill Farm and Fernhill Fibre

Fernhill Farm is a 160 acre farm, regeneratively managed by Jen and husband since 1997. Through a hybrid of British genetics, Andrew built up a flock of multipurpose sheep breeds that are now clipped for their flock to be used by Fernhill Fibre, embedding value and re-educating on the importance of wool.

Producing nutrient dense pasture-fed meat products, blade shearing and wool harvesting fine fibres in all the native colours whilst regenerating the land using Holistic Planned Grazing principles, Fernhill Fibre’s focus has always been the business to business supply chain.

Professional Members can watch the replay in the full lesson with takeaway here.

Find out more from our panellists

How can a designer use Fernhill Farms' Fibre?

Old fashioned - conversations are best. Fernhill are often mistaken as a processing plant so they start conversations on wool growing, and how they add value at pre-processing i.e. shearin, so that relationships and understanding can be built.

Fernhill Farm Open Days

Watch and have a go at blade shearing at Fernhill's September or March open days. They also normally run on site craft workshops. And if you fancy making a holiday of it, they have cosy accommodation too!

Botanical Inks and Bristol Cloth

Online workshops during the pandemic, with physical bundle dyeing to resume again.
Get ready-to-go dye extracts, plus Babs' book to get involved in dyeing in your own time.
Cloth and products available to purchase from Bristol Cloth, with skeins of undyed and naturally dyed wool (using the exhaust bath from full cloth production) also for sale.

Fernhill Farm website / @fernhillfarm1
Fernhill Fibre website / @fernhillfibre
Bristol Cloth website / @bristolcloth
Botanical Inks website / @botanicalinks