Working With Wool: a British textile heritage

Celebrating the Year of the Pastoralist, we explore the fascinating world of British textile heritage in a symposium about local wool

To celebrate 2026 as the Year of the Pastoralist, the Working With Wool symposium will enable you to hear from today’s experts about the real world opportunities and challenges faced in working sustainably with British wool, and the radical transparency this heritage fibre offers to contemporary designers, product developers, and to value chains. The UK is home to over 70 different breeds of sheep – more than anywhere else in the world - and wool is deeply entwined in our national culture. Each type of fleece has unique characteristics and technical properties, lends itself to different uses, and offers important creative possibilities as a truly regenerative, versatile fibre that is fully compostable (when used in natural shades or naturally-dyed). Local wool suits today’s growing emphasis on material provenance and makes a vital contribution to bioregional resourcefulness and resilience.

Working with Wool Expert Panel: 14.00 – 15.30

Panellists: Deborah Barker (South-East England Fibreshed), Harriet Fletcher-Gilhuys (The Great British Wool Revival), Haldi Kranich-Wood (British Wool), Justine Lee (Ossian Knitwear). Moderator: Kirsten Scott

Coffee break – 15.30- 15.50

Radically Local Project Presentation: 15.50 – 16.15

Research to date from IML’s Radically Local project, that explores local wool, colour and aesthetic vernaculars.

Workshop: 16.15 – 17.45 (bookable on day, limited places)

Fibre to Yarn – Justine Lee

Book talk and signing: 18.00 – 18.30

Justine Lee: The Wonder of Wool