Fibre Briefing: Wool

With a heritage stretching back to 10,000 BC, wool is a fibre that has withstood the tests of time and fashion. Naturally hard-wearing and long-lasting, wool comes from sheep farmed across the world. Although only a fraction of garments now use wool, its thermal qualities are still highly valued.

Sheep fleece is the raw source for wool. In conventional farming, the sheep are ‘dipped’ in insecticides and fungicides to keep them healthy, and then shorn of their fleece once a year. The fleece is …