Job search
Job Search
Latest news
More news: (showing 1 - 20 of 13727)           
UK only International

Prince Charles: Designers must not forget the 'miraculous' benefits of wool

By Kim Megson    04 Sep 2016
Prince Charles is a long-term campaigner for the wool industry / Anna Gowthorpe / PA Archive/Press Association Images

Architects, interior designers and engineers in the construction industry could, and should, use more wool in their buildings rather than relying on synthetic alternatives.

That is the view of Charles, Prince of Wales, who is fronting a new campaign to inspire creators from multiple disciplines to embrace the possibilities of a material that “is an excellent insulator even when wet, a natural fire retardant, odour-resistant, and absorbent of both shocks and sound.”

In a column for the Telegraph, the prince wrote: “We seem to have rather lost sight of the much bigger contribution that wool should be making in our lives. I want to encourage much greater understanding of it not only as a global environmental resource – versatile, sustainable, renewable and natural – but also as a global fashion [and design] resource of the highest quality.”

Prince Charles added that at a time when we are facing up to the challenges of climate change, more focus should be placed on natural materials that can be recycled and do not require fossil fuels to make them.

Wool, he said, is a “miraculous” material as it grows naturally, requires only grass and water as raw materials, has natural resilience and elasticity and has been used in a wide variety of ways “since Medieval times”.

A conference will be held next week in Scotland by the Campaign for Wool, a group established the the royal to promote its wider usage, to discuss the topic. Weavers, spinners, environmentalists, sheep farmers, fashion and interior designers, mill owners, carpet makers and retailers will be invited to discuss how to help the industry continue bouncing back after a difficult few years – which until recently had seen wool prices fall sharply due to our growing demand for synthetic fibres.

Charles said such demand was “short-sighted in the extreme” as synthetics are not biodegradable.

“Some parts of an industry [are still] sadly dominated by mass-produced chemical fibres, and cost is of course also a factor,” he wrote, “but today’s environmentally aware consumers do seem to be seeking out quality and durability in fashion, lifestyle and interiors.

“That is exactly what wool provides.”

Charles wants sheep farmers to work with the wider industry to raise awareness of the properties of wool / Chris Jackson / PA Archive/Press Association Images
Prince Charles  Wool  Campaign for Wool  design  architecture  fashion 
Sign up for FREE ezines
Related news

Company profile

Company profile: FIBO Global Fitness
FIBO pursues the vision of a strong and healthy society and as a global network makes an essential contribution to a long and fulfilling life for people. At the annual FIBO Show, therefore, all players from the fitness, wellness and health sectors come together and form the hot spot for innovations, investments and trends for an active lifestyle.
View full profile >
More company profiles

Featured Supplier

Sprung Gym-Flooring: leading fitness flooring provider paves the way for top performance
Introducing Sprung Gym-Flooring, where innovation meets excellence in the world of flooring and sports solutions.
View full details >
More featured suppliers

Property & Tenders

Location: Loughton, IG10
Company: Knight Frank
Location: Grantham, Leicestershire
Company: Belvoir Castle
Location: Verwood, Dorset
Company: AVISON YOUNG
Location: Hall Place House, Bexley, DA5 1PQ
Company: London Borough of Bexley
Location: 15 Concessions across the nation's forests
Company: Forestry England
More properties & tenders

Diary dates

11-14 Apr 2024
Exhibition Centre , Cologne, Germany
22-24 Apr 2024
Galgorm Resort, York
10-12 May 2024
China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou, China
23-24 May 2024
Large Hall of the Chamber of Commerce (Erbprinzenpalais), Wiesbaden, Germany
More diary dates