The Prince of Wools and His Campaign for Wool�
The Campaign for Wool is the amazing brainchild of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales ( Prince Charles ). The Prince — a sheep farmer too — discovered that sheep farmers generally received what he considered to be a low payment for the wool from their sheep flocks and began to ask questions about the reasons why this was the case .
Ultimately , the answer was more complicated than just the rise of synthetic fibres , but it was perhaps understandable that the Prince would focus on this first . As a long-standing and staunch environmentalist , he could not understand why wool — which he said was the perfect natural fibre for sustainability — did not have the profile it deserved .
Bringing together a team of industry experts , fashion designers , carpet manufacturers , architects and interior designers , he launched his grand plan to get the whole industry to work together to make wool fashionable again .
“ The key to the success of the Campaign is that we have a Patron who is passionate about the wool business from sheep farm through the long stages of manufacturing and right on to the shop floor ,” said John Thorley , chairman of the Campaign for Wool . “ He is genuinely behind this amazing movement to make wool better understood and ensure we keep our global sheep flock on the land .”
John is a man with plenty of experience in the sheep world and also a long standing connection with the Prince . He ran the National Sheep Association in the United Kingdom , dealing with sheep farmers from across the UK and with members in 37 countries across the world . At the Prince ’ s behest , he helped create a movement for mutton and put it back on the menu in top London restaurants such as The Ritz . This helped many sheep farmers and also redeemed one of the Prince ’ s favourite meats from disappearing entirely .
The success John and his team created there is clearly why the Prince reached out to him again with his challenge to harness the right people to put wool back in the spotlight .
“ I am a sheep man with a firm believer in the way that everything works together to keep a sense of balance and harmony ,” John said . “ Our international sheep flock is critical to a much bigger picture regarding the way our land and the ecosystem it supports work . Take the sheep away and not only would our landscapes change dra-
HRH Charles , Prince of Wales . Wool Week at the Design Centre , London . The Prince visits the industry .
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