British Wool, a farmers’ body working on behalf of 35,000 UK sheep farmers, has partnered with sustainable knitwear brand, Yan Tan, to help promote the environmental benefits of wool.

Yan Tan was inspired to use only locally sourced wool to create stylish, sustainable knitwear, to help tackle the falling price of wool in the UK. The new collection uses British wool, sourced from accredited sheep farmers in the UK, who must meet the government’s strict animal welfare standards. However, unlike many high street knits, the wool isn’t mixed with manmade fibres, making it completely biodegradable, and is made in small batches to avoid wastage.

Speaking about the collection, Jules Von Hep, co-founder of Yan Tan, said: “The UK has a huge number of sheep, yet we see brands importing wool from overseas into the country. Our main focus with Yan Tan is to raise demand and in turn the price of British wool for the farmers, but we also can’t stand waste or unwanted product, so we operate in low batches to avoid leftover yarn.”

“British wool is known for its durability as a renewable and recyclable fibre source, and we have access to it in abundance in the UK. Knitwear has its heritage within Great Britain, which is why you’ll see our love of cables, nepps yarns, vintage inspired details and designs knitted to last.”

Graham Clark, Director of Marketing at British Wool, adds: “British wool is an amazing natural and renewable source that can be used in many applications from the catwalks in Milan, to home interior products such as bedding and carpets. The diverse wool types on offer in the UK mean that British wool can really provide a truly sustainable solution for every application.”

“We are delighted to work with such a forward-thinking brand like Yan Tan and are continuing to engage with brands and retailers to help increase the usage of British wool across the UK.”

British Wool is based in Bradford and is owned by approximately 35,000 sheep farmers in the UK. It collects, grades, sells and promotes British wool to the international wool textile industry for use in flooring, furnishings and apparel.

britishwool.org.uk

yan-tan.com