British Wool is misunderstood.
The industry is in decline.
Our wool is undervalued.
Britain have 30 million sheep and a diverse clip of over 70 breeds - the most diverse in the world.
We have the fourth biggest clip globally and Wales alone is 3 times the size of the US and Canada
The average farm has 500 sheep, the priority is lamb (meat)
The wonders of wool are widely known, naturally sustainable, biodegradable, wellness .. etc
Yet it only accounts for less than 1% of textiles made globally - dwarfed by PLASTIC!
British Wool is NOT Merino (we only have a few Merino Sheep) it is thicker and stronger
Merino is the heart of the Australian & New Zealand industry - fine micron and perfect for garments. They are different, with different uses - both are fabulous.
Our local industrial support system has been in decline.
It costs more to shear our sheep than farmers get for the wool (ave 40p/kg = 80p per sheep)
So we need to explore opportunity.
It is an abundant sustainable local resource.
our primary mission and underlying question
Jacqui worked in the fashion and textile business up to board level for over 20 years
She has worked with wool for over 30 years - including British Wool
She has been a successful knitwear buyer with a budget of over £300 million - most of this was synthetic.
She worked with wool industry and manufacturing all over the world from Australia to Taiwan, China and Europe.
She understood the commercial dynamics, but also the decline in structure, lack of consumer understanding and need for change.
She adopted 3 directives for her research and strategic objectives:
COLLABORATION
INNOVATION
EDUCATION
A combination of all 3 was required to ensure future facing industry success
J Pearce - Welsh Wool Alliance
Jacqui believed that Wales (with 1/3 of the British Clip) could become the paradigm for industry change... she started a WOOL WALES project mapping the industry tied into Cardiff University with an emphasis on circularity and future needs.
She also became a Creative Mentor for the Government funded Made with Wool project in 2021.
Her work within the Welsh Wool Sector introduced her to a number of diverse projects/groups. She recognised that they were fragmented and would be stronger together.
In Summer 2022 she navigated the passion and founded an umbrella to home the coalition of projects, individuals, businesses and enterprises which all have an interest in Wool in Wales.. this became the WELSH WOOL ALLIANCE a coalition home for them all.
This small group of passionate wool lovers had multi faceted experience. The initial Wool Circle of strangers have become entwined and aligned; empowering each other to initiate change. Each adding value to the other.
The WWA has aligned the passion to deliver the potential through synergy, momentum and action.
Within 3 months, with no funding, they had formed a strong coalition. Jacqui has taken the strategic lead creating the website, branding home and strategic vision. Their membership is ever growing with 12 founders, 100's of members and 1000's of followers.
The WWA also now have the support of cross party members within the Welsh Government - creating conversations and a sponsored Senedd event to showcase change in November 2022. They are also backed by key industry bodies such as British Wool, NSA, FUW and NFU Cymru.
The focussed passions of a few, have sparked conversations and created disruption in a sector that was desperate for change. Our advocacy arguments remained positive and solution driven - helping meet our favoured outcomes.
This project has also included work Jacqui is scoping and implementing across the Wool sector in the UK.
if you want to find out more or join the alliance, we would love to have you on board
Jacqui has lobbied for a WOOL - Cross Party Group - within the Senedd. This is a formal political body within the Senedd Cymru - Welsh Parliament - and a touchstone for forward policy and discussion and includes her bringing together key organisations within the Wool Sector in Wales who are also part of the group.
This was one of her key objectives that supports the Wool Industry as a whole and is important in bringing WOOL onto the agenda of any and all departments of Government.
The group was founded with support from Plaid Cymru Cefin Campbell MS, and other MS' from Welsh Conservatives, Welsh Labour and the Liberal Democrats.
Cefin also sponsored a Wool Event at the Senedd in November 2022 and we thank him and his team for their ongoing support in driving these objectives into fruition.
Jacqui founded this in early 2022 to house her research work and showcase news and information from across the sector. It was the first ever dedicated independent hub for wool
Jacqui's future work includes:
Welsh Wool Alliance - continuing to build their structure and legacy for Welsh Wool
Wool Alliance - the overarching legacy structure across the UK
Consumer facing commercial collaborative initiatives
Research projects:
If you would like to be involved in any of the projects - please click on the links or contact us
Image copyrights - Jacqui Pearce and Hannah Davies all rights reserved