Wool news and archive

Brands unite to end live lamb cutting in wool industry

Global animal welfare organisation Four Paws has amassed support from 100 international fashion brands calling on the Australian wool industry to stop live lamb cutting, a procedure that mutilates ten million lambs per year. In a ‘brand letter of intent,’ Four Paws and brands, including Zara, Patagonia, Hugo Boss New Look, Rhea, and Active...

PeopleMember

Campaign for Wool names new chairman

Campaign for Wool, the non-for-profit international organisation that raises awareness of wool, of which HM King Charles III is a patron, has appointed Peter Ackroyd as its new chairman, replacing Sir Nicholas Coleridge, who has stepped down after 14 years to focus on his new role as the 43rd Provost of Eton College and Chair of Historic Royal...

BusinessMember

Mango to cut mulesing from value chain

Spanish fashion giant Mango has agreed to cut mulesing from its value chain following heightened pressure from animal welfare organisation Four Paws. The company has signed Four Paws’ Brand Letter of Intent, joining the 90 international fashion brands to have already done so. With this, Mango has committed to only sourcing certified wool free...

BusinessMember

New Woolmark campaign aims to highlight benefits of ‘most recycled’ fibre, wool

A new campaign by Woolmark aims to unpack and highlight the benefits that come with using the “world’s most recycled apparel fibre”, wool. In ‘Wear Wool, Not Waste’, the brand is hoping to encourage viewers to reevaluate their relationship with materials, educating the public on what wool can provide in place of fossil fuel-derived substances....

FashionFeatured

Woolmark unveils roadmap to accelerate wool sustainability

Woolmark, the global authority on wool, has launched a new sustainability roadmap to unite woolgrowers, supply chains and brands and accelerate low-impact wool production, circularity and enhance animal wellbeing and woolgrower livelihoods. The ‘Woolmark+’ roadmap sets out 13 practical initiatives designed to deliver practical solutions across...

BusinessMember

Woolmark introduces first Recycled Wool specification as part of 60th anniversary

Woolmark has expanded its certification programme to now include a specification for recycled wool, making it the first time in the company’s 60 year history that it will apply its certification to a recycled fibre. The new ‘Recycled Wool’ sub-brand falls under the RW-1 Specification, and marks “a significant step towards a more sustainable...

Fashion|In Pictures

Cos teams up with Nativa on regenerative wool capsule

Premium high street retailer Cos has partnered with Merino wool specialist Nativa on a limited-edition capsule collection championing regenerative farming practices “that aim to nurture positive change”. In a statement, Cos said that the 8-piece regenerative wool capsule is part of its ongoing commitment to “traceability and transparency” and...

Fashion

Four Paws shopping guide for a kinder winter wardrobe

Down feathers that ducks or geese lose on their own and that are then collected for puffer jackets or blankets, sheep that are shorn slowly and are happy to get rid of their “burden” - unfortunately, these are all myths that consumers may have in mind when they buy products with materials of animal origin. However, the reality is vastly...

Background|LONG READ

From fibre to garment: the technical 'make-up' of your clothing

In this background piece, we tell you all about the 'technical construction' of your garment. From fibre to garment. We start with the final product, your garment, and go back one step at a time. To the fabrics, the yarns and the fibres/raw materials. We also cover finishing processes. Content • Fabrics (+ finishing processes) • Yarns • Fibres...

Business|Interview FeaturedMember

PETA-Interview: “Cruelty is something that is built in”

When Nike recently announced to have changed its CSR policy and committed to the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), FashionUnited picked up the news under the headline “Nike opts for cruelty-free wool”. The next day, animal rights organisation PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) contacted FashionUnited with the information that the...

Fashion

Nike commits to Responsible Wool Standard

US sporting goods giant Nike has followed its own motto (“Just Do It”) and simply done it, namely decided to do away with wool that causes cruelty to animals. This kind of wool uses a process called mulesing in which strips of skin from the rump and the tail of lambs are cut away, often without any anaesthesia or painkillers. The resulting pain,...

FashionFeatured

PETA launches one million dollar vegan wool challenge

Animal welfare organisation PETA has launched a million dollar vegan wool challenge. PETA, which is the world's largest animal rights organisation, said the wool industry often leaves sheep shaken and bloody in shearing sheds after wool shearing procedures. By launching a challenge with significant prize funding it hopes to encourage the...