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Spring 2018
Contents
Spring/Summer 2019
A guide to the best wool fabrics and yarns in the world.
Photography Saskia Wilson
Image credits: 1-4. ©Photo: Guglielmo Profeti/Styling: Rami Riccardo Studio 5. ©Photo: Elisa Gianni | Andrés Sarlosi/Lineashow | Styling: Rami Riccardo Studio 6. ©Courtesy of Laura dell’Erba Ecoprint l Fabric: DHG Dyeing House Gallery
2 3 4
Provenance 05
Innovation
1 5 6
& Technology 37
Fashion 59
The Wool Lab presents inspirational themes to enthuse and influence emerging
fashion trends. Created by The Woolmark Company, this unique sourcing tool connects
designers with manufacturers through technical skills, know-how and passion.
Design & Art 107
Learn why wool is one of the most technical and versatile functional fibres and get
connected with the world’s best manufacturers on every level of the supply chain.
Contact thewoollab@wool.com for a one-on-one presentation of The Wool Lab
woolmark.com
Provenance
Global Content & Creative Manager
Mitchell Oakley Smith
mitchell.oakleysmith@wool.com
Global Editor
Lisa Griplas
Photography Kate Ballis
Junior Editor
Sophie Joy Wright
Design
Studio Days and Al Goh
Contributors
Georges Antoni, Kate Ballis, Kristen Bateman, Tom Blachford,
Steve Cordony, Felix Forest, Liz Ham, Linda Jefferyes, Natasha Khurana,
Jolyon Mason, Sophie Roberts, Georgina Safe, Nick Scott, Hormis Antony
Tharakan, Sam Tinson, Saskia Wilson, Soraya Zaman
Published by The Woolmark Company
Level 6, 68 Harrington Street, The Rocks NSW 2000 Australia
GPO Box 4177, Sydney NSW 2001
+61 2 8295 3100
magazine@wool.com
ISSN 2206-7582
© 2018 The Woolmark Company Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
Some of this work’s content is licenced to The Woolmark Company by a
third party. Except to the extent permitted under Copyright Law no part of
this publication may be reproduced by any process, electronic or otherwise
without the specific written permission of the copyright owner. Neither
may information be stored electronically in any form whatsoever without
such permission. This publication should only be used as a general aid and
A Life on the Land 06
is not a substitute for specific advice. To the extent permitted by law, The
Woolmark Company excludes all liability for loss or damage arising from
use of the information in this publication.
Cover
Ondria Hardin wears YCH wool dress.
Women in Wool 16
Photography Saskia Wilson. Styling Jolyon Mason.
A Greener Future 24
Printed and bound in China by Sheck Wah Tong Paper Products Printing Limited
under ISO14001 Environmental Certification. Wonder Woman 30
It’s not often
that the image
of the iconic
A Life on woolgrower
the Land is depicted as female,
And yet, as Lisa
Griplas discovers,
some of the Australian
wool industry’s
most significant
achievements were
Photography
KATE BALLIS
& TOM BLACHFORD made by women.
7
From Banjo Paterson’s iconic Clancy of the Overflow, to Hugh Jack-
man’s character in Baz Luhrmann’s epic film Australia, connotations
of the rugged Australian farmer are often imagined to be men of
great brawn. Women, by comparison, are typically portrayed to have
a less hands-on role. Yet what many people fail to realise is that two
of the greatest pioneers of Australia’s wool industry were wom-
en. Instrumental in founding the Australian wool industry, Eliza-
beth Macarthur established one of Australia’s first wool-growing
properties and spearheaded the exportation of Australian wool.
Another, Eliza Forlong, played a large part in introducing Merino
sheep to Tasmania and establishing the region as one the world’s
finest wool-growing areas.
Today, women continue to play an integral role on the
land. Whether they are busy producing the world's finest wool,
shearing sheep, or working as wool handlers, the = women of wool
continue to flourish. For Georgina Wallace, a life on the land has
always come naturally. Having grown up in the Central Districts
of Tasmania, near the historic town of Ross, the Australian wool
producer has spent her life surrounded by sheep. Her parents –
Jim and Jo McEwan – had four daughters, but it was Georgina who
found her calling at a young age. Today she manages Trefusis, a
7000-hectare property in the Tasmanian Midlands, with her hus-
band Hamish.
When Georgina and Hamish took over Trefusis in 2007,
having sold Uplands, a property they had owned for 23 years, they
had big shoes to fill. Georgina's father had won the Ermenegildo
Zegna trophy for extra fine wool an incredible 15 times. “I’ve always
loved working on the land and being outside,” she says. “I love the
versatility of the work – no one day is the same as the next. It does
have its challenges at times; some days you don't want to be outside
in howling winds or snow, but I love working with sheep, particu-
larly Merino sheep. I just love the fibre; I still get a buzz today when
I open up a sheep’s fleece and you think ‘That’s pretty special’”.
Wallace’s passion for the wool industry sparked at a young
age, helping out on the farm, especially during school holidays.
“Cheap labour, I suppose,” she laughs. “However, I always looked
forward to those times and I’ve always been very passionate about
sheep and wool. Back in my early years it wasn’t all that com-
mon to see women working like men on farms, but I was fortu-
nate that my father encouraged my sisters and I to do so. There
weren’t many women attending agricultural college at the time,
something I would have loved to have done if the opportunity
was there. I definitely think the level of support has dramatically
changed nowadays and women are just as competent and employ-
able as their male counterparts. It’s a great industry for women to
be involved in.” This became even more apparent when, in 2015,
Wallace became the first female president of the Australian Asso-
ciation of Stud Merino Breeders, a position which had, until then,
only been held by men.
The road to wool hasn't always been as smooth as it seems
today, and perhaps things could get rocky again tomorrow. A life
on the land means a life at the bittersweet mercy of Mother Na-
ture, who can be kind one minute and cruel the next. “A lot of
people don't think droughts happen here in Tasmania, but they
certainly do. We had a really bad drought here from 2006 until late
2009 and it was a really tough time for many farmers in this area.
It was at that point that my husband Hamish and I decided that
we had to do something to try and drought-proof this property.”
After months of planning and crossing hurdles, the Wal-
laces, in cooperation with their neighbour, built a 7000-megalitre
dam, which they proudly say has gone a long way to drought-proof-
ing their property. “We have some 700 acres under centre-pivot
irrigation which has given us diversity and the security that, when
times do turn dry, we can look after our sheep. It’s been a huge
bonus to this property.”
In addition to the mega-irrigation scheme, the Wallaces
engage in various land conservation arrangements to look after
Irrigation systems, from
the property's dam, help
to drought-proof the land. 9
A 7000-megalitre dam
was established to
provide security during
10 long periods without rain. 11
the native flora and fauna on their land, with designated areas that’s largely due to my parents’ hard work. We want to leave this
fenced off to see the native vegetation flourish. “We have de- property in even better order for the next generation, and I think
stocked these areas and make sure that we only run sheep there we owe it to the land. It’s really important to look after your land
for three months of the year. We want to see native flora and fauna and look after your livestock. I for one like to see my sheep healthy
thrive and I think for the whole biodiversity of this property it’s and happy, and when my sheep are happy it makes me happy.
important to look after native land. We’ve also fenced off some That’s how we want to leave this place – healthy and happy.”
waterways and creeks to look after those areas and that vegetation. So what does the future of wool-growing look like?
We see this as quite a holistic approach to the farm – you have to Very bright, if you ask this woolgrower. “I think wool is such
look after all aspect.” a wonderful, sustainable, clean and green product, and I think
Wallace, along with the tens of thousands of other proud that augurs well for the future. I think it has wonderful properties
woolgrowers across Australia, are true guardians of the land. Tak- and such great diversity for fashion designers. From next-to-skin
ing great care of the land that allows for their livelihood is just as apparel right through to an overcoat, it’s such a versatile fibre.
important to the tireless work of producing the world's finest wool Activewear is such a big part of our industry and it’s a huge growth
as ensuring that their sheep are happy and healthy. “I see that we area for wool, as are other areas such as the benefits for those
are custodians of this property for the next generation. When we who suffer from eczema, especially babies and young children. It’s
moved back here, the property was in very good condition, and a very exciting time and the industry has a really bright future.”
Opposite page: Georgina
Wallace of Trefusis. 13
Above: Native grasses
populate the land.
Opposite page: Merino
sheep make up part of
14 the stock at Trefusis.
Photography
HORMIS ANTONY THARAKAN India’s enduring hand-weaving traditions
are moving away from historical notions
of gender, thanks to innovation and
engagement with contemporary trends
Women in Wool and culture, writes Natasha Khurana.
from weaving; the prevalence of the throw-shuttle a sign of “confidence in who we are”.
loom in Varanasi meant that women didn’t sit at the There are also groups like Avani, in the
loom. “The shuttle is manually thrown by hand, for mountain state of Uttarakhand, which was set up
which,” he explains, “an arm span has to be more in 1997 with the aim of empowering women via
than 50 inches. Our women are petite, which limits sustainable means. One of the ways it does this is
them because they don’t have that span. As weaving through its Kumaon EarthCraft Self Reliant Coop-
progressed, and the fly-shuttle came into being, it erative, which works with 1400 families across 64
became the biggest differentiator in terms of wom- villages. 85 per cent of its workers are women who
en doing the actual weaving, [and] now fly-shuttle work with wool, as well as silk and linen. Co-found-
looms have enabled women to do so.” er Rashmi Bharti’s efforts have focused on making
Indeed, in the broader region, within their skills relevant in the commercial arena by us-
which Varanasi sits, fly-shuttle looms contribute to ing modern materials. “This has meant innovating
a greater balance of the labour between the genders. with materials that are globally acceptable,” says
At Kullu’s Bhutti Weavers Cooperative Society, Bharti. “Not everyone wants to wear coarse Tibet-
chairman Satya Parkash Thakur claims that 60 per an sheep wool, so we’ve adapted that same product
cent of its workforce is female. “Every member of into Australian Merino wool. We’ve saved the skill
our co-op, whether they be the chairman or director, of hand weaving by introducing materials for the
knows how to weave. We pay equal wages, and don’t community to contemporise their skill with.”
differentiate based on gender or religion.” Over Delhi-based Aneeth Arora’s internation-
decades, they have continually upgraded their al ready-to-wear label Pero alsoworks exten-
source materials, now working with the much softer sively with Merino. While their actual weaving
Australian Merino wool. is done in Kullu, her Delhi studio is responsible
Thakur also credits design intervention with for her trademark whimsical trimmings. “Every
making their craft more marketable. This year, they technique that we did, we started with wool.”
collaborated with designer Rajesh Pratap Singh, Pero places great emphasis on the personal, and
resulting in the state’s first fashion show. Pratap, is invested in establishing a connection with its
whose championing of textiles predates the current audience as well as its workers. “We have an equal
trend, agrees that “the role of a designer is import- number of men and women, but I feel like women
ant in giving crafts a new direction, a new viabili- are more attached to what they’re doing, they’re
ty. He welcomes the resurgence of hand crafting as more sensitive,” she muses.
According to the most recent Handloom Census In 2005, Ghayur Alam and his wife Patricia
(2009-10), almost 4.4 million people in India are en- set up Himalayan Weavers, a business which uses
gaged in the handloom sector, 77 per cent of whom natural dyes to hand-dye woven wool, in the Hima-
are women. Despite this fact, the labour is generally layas, east of Delhi. Alam reiterates that here, too,
gender-divided: men tend to do most of the weav- “there is very little tradition of women weavers.
ing (75.7 per cent), and women make up the bulk Women process the wool: they clean it, wash it, have
of allied work. it carded, and then spin it.” Alam admits, however,
Delhi-based label Kashmir Loom is run by that in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, weaving is
textile scholar Jenny Housego and her Indian part- almost equally divided between men and women.
ners Asaf, Hamid and Zahid Ali, who specialise in Textile scholar and director of Ahmedabad’s
fine Merino wool, lambswool, and cashmere prod- Calico Museum, Rahul Jain, reinforces this. “Histor-
ucts. “In our country,” reports Asaf Ali, “it is fab- ically the entire tradition from East Asia to Western
ulous that we still have the tradition and skills for Europe has almost invariably been male,” he says.
weaving, embroidery, zardozi, you name it. What you “With the exception of the hill states, in upper In-
can do with the hand here is incredible; we haven’t dia, the front of the operation has been unquestion-
completely lost that knowledge. We’ve had the craft, ably male, with women doing the ancillary work.
but didn’t know how to market it, how to contempo- It’s a fairly laborious and somewhat heavy task,
rise it, or the little design details and colourways that comparable to an industrial occupation. Plus, a lot
made a difference. When Jenny came she asked how of the public negotiations are outside the purview
we could take this craft skill, make it relevant, and of a woman’s role.”
yet ensure the long-time sustainability of this craft.” In Uttar Pradesh, in the ancient city of Vara-
According to Housego (who is known for a textile nasi, famed for its brocades, Hemang Agrawal runs
that found its place in the Victoria & Albert Muse- his four-decade-old family business, The Surekha
um’s Fabric of India exhibition in 2015), in Kashmir, Group. Agrawal, too, confirms, “that everything
“women do the important job of hand cleaning and pre-loom (preparing the warp and the yarn; and
spinning the wool,” though do not weave. Women dyeing) and post-loom (cutting and finishing) is
excel, says Ali, in aari embroidery on wool, in which done by women.” He reasons that traditionally it
a needle is used to perform chain stitches. was the female’s physique that restricted women
This page and opposite:
Employees of Aneeth Arora's
18 Pero studio in Delhi, India. 19Hand-loomed wool textile at the 20 Bhuttico workshop in Kullu, India. 21
This page and opposite:
Employees at the Bhuttico
22 workshop in Kullu, India.A Greener Future
Through its collaborative engagement with
woolgrowers, Greening Australia is well on
its way to achieving its namesake mission.
Mitchell Oakley Smith meets with one of
its driving forces.
Photography
LIZ HAM“We’re certainly not trying to replicate a system Wool-growing was one of the first enterpris-
that was present in 1770,” says Sebastian Burgess. es in Tasmania after European settlement in 1778,
“But rather we’re looking for a landscape that has with the Midlands one of the first areas to be settled
ecological function; a landscape that is sympathet- for agriculture. Prior to the arrival of immigrants,
ic with agricultural objectives but also functions most of the landscape was made up of open grassy
as a natural ecosystem.” Burgess is the Director of woodlands, as depicted in some of the early colonial
Conservation for the Tasmanian branch of non-gov- paintings of English-born artist John Glover, follow-
ernment organisation [NGO] Greening Australia, ing some 60,000 years of Aboriginal management of
one of the first NGOs to work in the sector of en- the land. This made it possible for grazing without
vironmental protection and regeneration. Greening the land first being cleared. “This was ideal country
Australia's work even predates that of Landcare, for woolgrowers to move into,” explains Burgess. “It
another group committed to land stewardship. was a low-input, relatively sustainable system. But
Previously, Greening Australia acted, as any system does need conservation, and the ideal
Burgess describes it, “as everything for everybody is to maintain the system in equilibrium: if sheep
across the whole country”, but over the past decade, grazing can be managed effectively you can create a
it has reshaped its strategy to focus on a smaller balance with nature.”
number of catchments and geographic areas to de- The results speak for themselves. To date,
velop long-term land management plans in consul- Greening Australia, in collaboration with local wool-
tation with local farmers, government and industry growers, has restored more than 1,000 hectares
bodies. “We use the best science to understand the of the landscape by planting some 250,000 native
issues facing those landscapes, and source revenue plants in grassy woodlands and river-flats; and en-
from wherever we can to execute our plan.” Green- hancing an additional 200 hectares of existing native
ing Australia is an industry partner for three Austra- vegetation for conservation purposes. These num-
lian Research Council projects, arming it with more bers are particularly astounding when one considers
than 15 PhD candidates and post-doctoral staff to the relatively small size of Tasmania. It is no wonder,
assist with the implementation of its groundwork. then, that its Macquarie riparian restoration work
Recently, Burgess and his team’s focus has – which has seen some 35 km of the banks of Tacky
been on the Tasmanian Midlands, comprising the Creek, and the Macquarie and Isis Rivers, replanted
areas surrounding the towns of Conara, Campbell with native plants – is one of the largest revegetation
Town, Ross and Tunbridge. The team's efforts are projects in Australia.
collectively known as the Tasmanian Island Ark pro-
gram. One of the world’s last refuges for threatened
animals, Tasmania is home to a host of animal spe-
cies now extinct on mainland Australia. In response
to this threat, Greening Australia is working to re-
verse the decline of biodiversity, and to reconnect
people with nature, in what is a globally significant
landscape. With the Tasmania Island Ark project, the
organisation is aiming to re-create more than 6,000
hectares of habitat across the island state to create
a stronghold for Australia’s critically endangered
animals, and revitalise local farming communities
through on-ground and educational programs.
Above: Canola provides
an opportunity
for mixed-use land
26 management. 27The concomitant benefits for native en-
dangered species are considerable, with ongoing
monitoring of populations of eastern quolls, spot-
ted-tailed quolls, eastern barred bandicoots, Tasma-
nian devils, eastern bettongs and woodland birds,
among others, on the rise. “We have seen around
the world that native animal populations are crash-
ing, and that whole movement is what we want to
get away from here in Tasmania,” explains Burgess
of his mission. “Much of our work, then, is about
reducing or managing threats – increasing habitats,
maintaining clear waterways, managing weeds – to
try and hit that equilibrium.”
This challenge is made even greater by
the rapidly changing climate. “The increasing
number of multiple very hot days will have an im-
pact on native vegetation, new plantings and ani-
mal welfare. But within that we can manage what
we can by providing more shelter [through the
planting of trees] and providing more resilience
to farming in general. That’s our endpoint, and
I’m convinced we can reach that. It might take
a couple of decades, and we’re not sure what farm-
ing enterprises will look like then, but we’ve set
a target to restore the Midlands area, to rebuild
primary wildlife corridors, and find that balance be-
tween ecological function and maintaining a viable
farming landscape.”
Woolgrowers, which make up the lion’s share
of landholders in the region, have embraced Green-
ing Australia’s project. “In most cases what we’re
doing isn’t reducing their available land for produc-
tion. They’re not losing acreage, but rather they’re
receiving shade from tree canopies, which adds to
the wellbeing of their livestock,” says Burgess. Most
farmers maintain some areas of locked-off land for
conservation, and the benefits of environmental
conservation and regeneration contribute to a bet-
ter end-product. “Farmers want to see more of this,
and they’re very supportive of what we’re doing at
Greening Australia. Absolutely, we have limited re-
sources, but we’re certainly not having any difficulty
recruiting growers, so the future looks bright.”
Above and opposite page:
The green landscape at
the Tasmanian property
of Roderic O'Connor of
28 Connorville.Wonder Woman With her unwavering commitment to
sustainability, and her lifelong connection
to wool, International Woolmark Prize
winner Gabriela Hearst is redefining
the fashion business,
writes Kristen Bateman.
Photography
LIZ HAM 31Gabriela Hearst is the Uruguay-born designer redefining natu-
ral textiles for a new generation of fashion. Having grown up on
a fully functioning ranch, surrounded by sheep, the principle of
farm-to-fashion has significantly influenced her creative process.
This can be most clearly seen in the extensive use of natural
fibres in her collection of women's suits, superfine Merino sweat-
ers, knitted bodysuits, and trench coats; and even in her covetable
'Nina' handbag.
Since winning the prize, Hearst’s business has been boom-
ing and her love of sustainability has only grown stronger. Almost
immediately following, she staged her first runway show at the
Refectory of the High Line Hotel in New York City (in previous
seasons, she’d shown her line at intimate presentations). She pre-
sented a bold collection of belted robes, double-breasted coats,
chic dresses and pieces made from deadstock. As for the staging of
the show, the chairs came from her house, and the cashmere cush-
ions on each seat were made from leftover yarn from the knitting
collective Manos del Uruguay (an organisation with which Hearst
frequently collaborates).
The fashion industry is one of the least sustainable indus-
tries in the world, so to find a luxury label with as much attention
to its supply chains as Hearst’s is exceedingly rare. Her sustainable
choices have also led her back to her roots. The wool used in the
suiting and shirt dresses of her spring 2018 collection came from
the sheep on her Uruguayan ranch. “It took a year and a half to
do that,” she says. The initiative started with the shearing of the
sheep in Uruguay and the subsequent washing and processing in
Italy. It was the first time Hearst used her own wool for suiting.
“When you think of wool, you think of your grandmother
when she hand-knits you a sweater,” says Hearst, a sixth-gen-
eration wool farmer. “You think wool, you think heavy, right?
That’s not the case. Wool can be superfine, and luxurious. That
is the premise of the collection we did for the Woolmark Prize.
That is always our premise: showing the light side of wool and
how efficient it is. We use real wool as our ultra-luxury ma-
terial so it’s done in more ways than people expect it to be.
It’s always a big part of the materials that we use.”
Before launching her own collection, Hearst co-founded
the line Candela. It wasn’t unitl she inherited the family ranch,
shortly after her father passed away, that she was inspired to start
her own luxury label. In light of the careful balance that Hearst has
managed to strike, between running her childhood farm and lead-
ing the label that she built in her image, it is little surprise that she
is able to give back to the environment through her design. “Long-
term thinking and sustainability,” are the two principles she’s tak-
en from working the ranch. And their application goes beyond aes-
thetics, affecting the way she has been running her business too.
In 2016, she launched her first bag, named after Nina Sim-
one. Hearst initially made only 20 of the sculptural, folded calf tric men’s wardrobes for inspiration instead. “I’ve always created
leather bags (inspired by the forms of Colombian artist Fernando the collection thinking about women, so this time we were think-
Botero) and gave them to the women in her life: the woman who ing of the contemporary man of the 20th or 21st century with their
makes her shoes,the actress Brie Larson, and the business wom- elemental dressing.” Winston Churchill, Chet Baker and Keith
an Miroslava Duma. Hearst has subsequently produced the bag in Richards were among those upon whose style Hearst drew. “We
a small number of batches, with an extensive waitlist on the de- made sure the collection is still feminine, so it’s the interpretation
signer’s website. As for the packaging, it biodegrades in just of the details more than anything like a grand silhouette.”
24 weeks, versus the standard 500. Hearst is eagerly working on her next collection, which
“We do not wholesale our handbags, and the reason why will continue to include Merino wool sourced from her farm. “The
we don’t wholesale the handbags is because when I studied the goal is always to evolve. I think we can push our development to
wholesale model I realised I had to produce double the amount of new heights,” she says. “We want to make sure that every season
handbags to make the same amount of money,” she explains. “And we evolve, sales-wise, colour-wise and in suiting.” Suiting remains
it just didn’t make sense to use all those natural resources. So our one of the brand’s best sellers, and so is an important focal point.
distribution is very limited but our margin is bigger, so it works But when it boils down to it, Hearst’s work centres around being
really well. It was a great business decision that was in principle well informed. “Sustainability is the most important thing that is
made by a sustainability idea.” happening, worldwide, and we should be paying attention because
Above and opposite page: Hearst’s work is often based on the motif of strong women. there’s nothing more grave than climate change,” she says solemn-
Gabriela Hearst visits an Fall 2017, for instance, was a tribute to Angela Davis. But her most ly. “I don’t feel it would be responsible for me to be creating prod-
Australian woolgrowing recent collection departed from that concept by looking to eccen- uct and using natural resources if I don’t do it in a mindful way.”
property, tracing the
farm-to-fashion route
32 of her collections. 33Above: Hearst
photographed within
a wool art installation.
Opposite page: Merino
34 sheep stand to attention. 35Innovation
& Technology
Photography Saskia Wilson
A Twist in the Tale 38
Mapping the
World of Fashion 46
Beyond the Edge 50
Techno Fashion 54It has faced more than its fair share
of challenges, but thanks to enterprise,
ingenuity and attention to detail, Laxtons
Specialist Yarns remains a beacon of
British manufacturing. Nick Scott visits
the Yorkshire-based establishment.
A Twist in the Tale
Photography
SAM TINSON 39Their story is one of serial triumphs over adversity. The Depres-
sion of the 30s saw staff working one week on, one week off.
Recovery was thwarted by an exodus of personnel to the front lines
of World War II, during which many businesses who patronised
them were destroyed in bombing raids. Decades of growth fol-
lowed, but around the time James Laxton – the fourth generation
of the family to run the company – took the helm in 1992, a grim
stint in the United Kingdom’s textile industry unfolded, culminat-
ing in Laxtons’ manufacturing activities shutting down altogether.
“For ten years or so it was all off-shored – we were just
an office, working with Spanish, South African and Turkish mills
creating yarn to our specifications,” explains sales director Alan
Thornber. And yet, in spring 2017, 110 years after the company
was founded by George Laxton and Gordon Holmes, the cogs and
conveyor belts in the company’s brand new, 16,000 sq ft, state-
of-the-art new spinning mill in Baildon, West Yorkshire creaked
into action.
Laxtons specialises in worsted and ‘fancy’ yarns (the latter
has nothing to do with the colloquialism in this part of Britain for
‘posh’ – it refers, rather, to structural effects such as bouclé). It is
a highly sophisticated operation, which begins with raw bales of
fabric arriving from all across the world. “We source wool from
Australia, The Falkland Islands and use British wool too, and
alpaca, silk or mohair from South Africa, China and elsewhere,”
says Thornber, taking us up to a mezzanine floor on which bales
containing 400 or 500 kilos of fibre are stacked in neat piles.
“Because we’re a niche producer, a lot of our customers
need something made from a specific type of sheep because of the
different characters they offer. A breed that’s good for knitwear is
not going to be best for carpets; some customers like a soft han-
dle, so they need wool from a Bluefaced Leicester breed; others
want a lustrous effect and therefore require a Wensleydale wool;
“You need the human
a Merino gives amazing bounce and elongation.” Laxtons’ service,
he says, is effectively bespoke. “We don’t make yarns and then ask
people to buy them – our customers come to us and say ‘We want
touch, and staff with
to produce socks’ or ‘Our speciality is upholstery that has a bit of
texture’, and then we’ll explain to them what we need to be us-
ing to provide that. They know what they want – we know how to
lots of experience.”
choose the wool to make it happen.”
The fibre, having been weighed out in quantities dictated
by recipes, is sent via vertical chutes to a vast ground-floor work-
ing space where engineering precision and human judgement
make a dynamic duo. “There’s no automated doffing and robotics
in this place,” says Thornber. “We can’t leave our machinery to its
own devices because we’re working with natural fibres. If we were
working with man-made fibres, our machines could run about ten
times as fast, in a much more automated way. You have to treat
wool much more carefully, though.”
Why? “Because every bale we receive, even if it has exactly
the same label, is different,” he explains. “The wool hasn’t grown
on the same sheep in the same climate each time.” By way of
illustration he takes us to a drafting machine, on which a rich,
autumnal chestnut wool, blended from raw Merino fibres of rust,
black, white and beige, is being carefully elongated by rollers, sev-
eral feet apart and moving at different speeds.
“Processing one bale of Falkland wool one week then
another of the same wool two weeks later, the machine may
need different settings,” says Thornber. “There are differences
in length, variation of length, moisture content, how long it’s been
in the dye bath. These aren’t machines that just get switched on in
the morning and switched off at night. You need the human touch,
and staff with lots of experience.”
That’s not to say the technology here isn’t eyebrow-hikingly
sophisticated, of course. Optical detection and auto-levelling equip-
ment, at this stage in the process, ascertains whether the yarns are
precisely the same diameter – if a thick portion is detected, the rollers
will speed up slightly to stretch the yarn a fraction more, while for thin
40 41Above and opposite: Staff
at Laxtons tend to the
production process, as wool
is transformed from raw
42 fibre to beautiful, fine yarn. 43parts, it slows the rollers down. During the winding stage, meanwhile,
after faults are removed from the yarn, pneumatic technology splic-
es the loose ends together, eliminating the need for obtrusive knots.
Humanity’s relationship with wool dates back to primi-
tive societies, and elsewhere in the factory we witness processes
that demonstrate an intimate knowledge of how fleece behaves.
Take the spinning and twisting stage, for example. When spinning,
a spindle rotates anti-clockwise to follow a ‘Z’ direction; when
twisting, it rotates clockwise, ensuring an ‘S’ direction. The re-
sult is a more balanced yarn, less prone to corkscrewing. If it does
come out a little wayward (‘live’ is the technical word here), the
time-honoured remedy, steaming – which also adds bulk, softness
and volume – presents a tricky Goldilocks conundrum: too little
exposure and it’ll remain wayward; too much and it yellows.
Once dried, the wool is wound using a machine whose
settings have so many variables – angles, rotation circumferenc-
es, rotation speeds, drop heights – that Thornber describes the
technician who repairs and maintains it as being “like a rocket
scientist”. The resulting hanks and reels are then labelled,
packaged, bar-coded, stickered and sent off for distribution. But
Laxtons’ procedure doesn’t end there.
In a small testing room next to the factory floor, volumes
of archives testify to the gravity of consistency – in terms of colour
and texture as well as quality. “We keep samples of every batch
we make,” explains Thornber, “so that we can address things and
eradicate any problems.” It’s here, also, that Laxtons’ eagle-eyed
quality control staff check fibre lengths as soon as batches of wool
come in. “The fibres in a batch should be different lengths. It won’t
spin properly if they’re identical, but we need the longest and the
shortest fibres in a batch not to be too different to each other, too.”
This borderline-obsessive attention to detail typifies why
Laxtons today, having undergone such a bumpy ride over the past
century, is on a smooth track to a bright future. As recently as
January this year, the machinery now assembled and laid out in
procedural order on the shop floor was in countless pieces. Today,
around 25 staff are beavering away, turning high-quality raw fleece
into yarns of such excellence that they are utilised by fashion
giants such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Paul Smith.
It’s a high-functioning antidote to any notion that Britain’s textile
industry is in the doldrums.
Opposite page from
top: The blending
process; the winding
44 and spinning process. 45Mapping the “Almost all the major apparel companies are now
transparent about who their first-tier suppliers are.”
Fashion World If there is one takeaway lesson from the successive moments
of crisis into which the fashion industry has plunged in recent
including environmental and political incidents, might affect their
operations, as well as the best way to minimise any disturbance
years, it is that participants in the apparel sector can no longer, these incidents might have. A brand can simply look on the map
in good conscience, increase their frequency of production and for an alternative supplier, if needed. But why go to the trouble
output without ensuring that they are doing so responsibly. Dr of gathering the thousands of addresses and other data needed
Leonardo Bonanni set out to bring clarity to supply chains, and to make these rich visual maps? “I started using maps for supply
the unique inventions that resulted have proved that transpar- chain because I felt that if you couldn’t locate it on a map then
ency, sustainability and traceability can be fashionable. And his you really had no way to verify the authenticity of the claim. We’re
clients, who include Eileen Fischer and Vivienne Westwood, able to standardise the way suppliers are being identified and also
couldn't agree more. make sure that audits are being conducted in the actual location
Originally from Florence, Italy – one of the most signif- that they’re supposed to be.”
icant manufacturing hubs for the luxury fashion industry – Dr With Sourcemap’s tool, companies can find new or alter-
Bonanni gained a PhD in 2009 from Massachusetts Institute of native suppliers, proximate to their existing suppliers, that are
Technology (MIT), where he developed the foundations of his working to higher environmental standards or delivering better
company, Sourcemap. Initially, Dr Bonanni and his team set out working conditions. In other words, the companies can choose to
to create a platform that would provide information to consumers use responsible suppliers without disrupting their existing infra-
about the origins of the products they purchased; Sourcemap was structure. “A spreadsheet can only go so far in showing you your
going to pool information that he assumed brands already had. supply chain,” he says. “An apparel company’s supply chain is even
Though this wasn’t quite right. “What we discovered really quickly more complex because there are tens of thousands of suppliers
after launching the first platform was that in fact it wasn’t just the and they change every quarter or every season, and that turnover
consumers who didn’t know, it was brands themselves who didn’t makes apparel supply chains one of the hardest things to map and
know where their own product came from,” said Dr Bonanni from to account for.”
Sourcemap’s headquarters in New York City. The benefit of using a social media-like system that pools
For a long time, and for most people outside the world data in real-time from all over the world is that it can respond to
of supply chains, the commonly held belief was that a company this constant change. It also creates a database that allows design-
who sold a t-shirt, for example, actually made it. However, this is ers to look at where specific fabrics or components came from,
often not the case. Very few apparel companies in the world own perhaps two years ago, and re-source them if needed.
and run every step of the production process of the garments they When Sourcemap began nine years ago, there was little
sell, from the farming of the raw materials all the way to the retail interest in supply chain transparency. “Frankly nobody wanted it.
floor. This is because doing so would expose them to too much It took a while to get companies confident that they could even
risk. If one step of the linear supply chain were compromised, use the internet as a way to manage their supply chain.” Events
there would be few options to make a swift correction. A system including the infamous collapse of the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh
where that risk was accepted is incredibly vulnerable and costly in 2013 were a huge reality check for the industry, and consum-
and would undoubtedly lead to high prices for the end products. ers alike, and encouraged participants in the industry to approach
Loro Piana is a welcome exception to that rule, Ermenegildo Zeg- their supply chains in a different way. The tsunami that hit Japan
na another. Most other apparel companies have suppliers – larger in 2011 was another key event that shifted attitudes, says Bonanni.
retailers can have tens of thousands – to cover certain steps in the “Companies are really starting to wake up to the fact that they
manufacturing process. These suppliers will have suppliers, too. need to map their supply chain just to run their business.” Apparel
“Globalisation came about long before the internet, and consumers have also become discerning; the environmental and
Photography so people have been doing business with global supply chains social consequences of their purchases have become an important
SORAYA ZAMAN before there was any way to actually communicate with that many consideration in their decision-making processes. “There’s been
people. And so, everybody could only see as far as the next tier; an enormous shift.
companies only knew their direct suppliers.” Dr Bonanni decided “The new generation of consumers certainly identify with
to take a few steps back, and set out to create a system that en- a brand’s social mission, and there’s more information about
In helping to reduce the apparel abled companies to communicate with all of its suppliers, even
those two, three or four steps in the process away, and thereby
understand their true global supply chain.
brands’ social missions to identify with, so there’s a combination
of demand and supply. You see start-ups like Everlane identify-
ing themselves as being transparent and that really sparks a lot of
industry’s environmental footprint, Sourcemap uses data gathered from a system that Dr
Bonanni likens to LinkedIn to create maps of supply chains.
A company will register and upload information about their direct
interest for millennials. I think apparel customers are very con-
scious of the social and environmental conditions – I’d say main-
ly social conditions – in which the clothing they buy are made.
Dr Leonardo Bonanni has developed suppliers, who will then be invited to upload information about
their first-tier suppliers, and so on. Through this unique kind of
social network, “we’ll often see companies all of a sudden having
It’s probably for the same reason: it’s something you wear, it’s
something close to your skin.”
However, Dr Bonnani argues that the largest driver for
an invaluable technological operations that they thought were limited to one country or one
region of the world, mushroom, and reveal that they have raw ma-
terials coming from all over the world.”
“the entire industry adopting better standards” has actually been
company-driven. Enterprises are engaging in smart risk manage-
ment through a better understanding of where their interests
tool, writes Sophie Joy Wright. These maps are extremely sophisticated, are constantly
updated and allow companies to understand if real-time events,
lie. These risks are not just reputational ones. They also include
more mundane risks, like shipping delays, price volatility and
47stock mismanagement. “If you don’t know your supply chain,
if you haven’t mapped it out, then you don’t know your business.”
It is possible to think of the data on environmental and social
performance that tools like Sourcemap deliver as the fortunate
by-product of better supply chain management – normally an
exercise in financial prudence.
The fact that “almost all the major apparel companies are
now transparent about who their first-tier suppliers are” means
that they’re now influencing the global supply chain en masse.
“Very quickly if you have a bunch of big companies asking their
suppliers to provide information on their health and safety prac-
tices, their labour rights, then all of a sudden the suppliers start to
compete on that basis. It’s quite a market-driven process.” Sup-
pliers that are now able to guarantee a more sustainable product
– one that is carbon-neutral or one that is made by employees un-
der fair and just conditions – are commanding higher prices for
their products, which are being readily accepted by companies
and down the line, consumers. “This started in the food industry
but we see it happening in apparel as well, where brands are will-
ing to pay an extra ten or twenty percent for a certifiably sustain-
able material.”
One of the most recent projects launched by Sourcemap is
a collaboration with London-based company Provenance, which
uses blockchain technology to authenticate supply chains. Found-
ed by Jessi Baker, Provenance focuses on the origin, journey and
impact of products, and has worked parallel to Sourcemap for
many years. Now they have joined together for this pilot project
to map and verify the authenticity of supply chains, down to the
raw materials. “We have the best of both worlds; we have people
opting in to a mutually beneficial, transparent supply chain and
the block chain technology stepping in to authenticate, verify, and
make sure that what everybody said along the way is actually bear-
ing out in reality,” said Dr Bonanni, of this first-of-its-kind project.
Perhaps the most meaningful development that has arisen
from this innovation in supply chain transparency is the one that
most benefits smallholder farmers in the far-flung corners of the
globe. They have access to information about the companies to
which they supply, allowing them to be more responsive to the
demands of the market. “The first mile of the supply chain [are]
also getting access to real-time information and enriching them-
selves and their communities through participating in this big so-
cial network. We can also give them a dashboard so that they can
manage their expenses, their productivity, and they can see how
best to improve their practices, learn techniques for good agricul-
tural practices, get access to financing and loans, obtain trainings
and certifications.”
Dr Bonanni’s passion for supply chain optimisation is
showing no sign of fading. It is almost hard to believe that Source-
map, now an extremely advanced system that crunches extensive
real-time data for human consumption, could have started its life
as a mere re-application of one of humankind's earliest methods
for understanding its world: the humble map. In building Source-
map into the valuable resource for producers and suppliers that
it is today, Dr Bonanni has also managed to shine a light on the
darker side of the apparel industry. In guiding the industry to rec-
ognise that there is a problem, he has helped the industry to take
the difficult first step towards fixing it.
48Beyond the Edge Its inherent natural
qualities make wool
perfect for seamless
knitting, adding
comfort and resilience
to your workout gear,
writes Lisa Griplas.
Photography
SASKIA WILSON 51Recognising that consumers' hunger for something Merino wool," explains Ortovox Head of Mountain-
new never ceases, brands, retailers and manufactur- wear Thomas Moe.
ers have been rapidly developing the technologies “You can achieve a lot of things with
they use, to ensure that they are well-placed to cre- seamless that is not possible with other knitting
ate something brilliant and new. Innovations can technologies, such as close-to-the-body construc-
take many forms: from new machines and ways of tion. Seamless allows us to work with comfort
thinking, to materials and products. In the apparel mapping to optimise performance; it allows us to
industry, the entire supply chain works together to create different zones, more open-mesh structures
create forward-thinking design. Seamless knitwear and more warm zones on the body where it’s either
is certainly nothing new; seamless hosiery and un- warmer or has more ventilation. It’s all about the
derwear has been around for decades. But as tech- body climate.”
nologies and fibres become more advanced, so too By connecting all facets of the supply chain,
does garment construction, particularly when those The Woolmark Company, alongside its partners,
garments are made from Merino wool. takes full advantage of wool’s recent popularity
In seamless garment technology, the ul- spurt in the sports and activewear market. Com-
timate in knitting technology, four major players panies throughout the supply chain are benefiting
– Karl Mayer, Santoni, Shima Seiki and Stoll – lead from this growth. New wool and wool-rich yarns are
the pack. Whereas traditional wool base-layer ap- being developed specifically for this type of seam-
parel was made by cut and sew production, which less knitting, with enhanced yarn strength through
limited possibilities, the manufacture of mod- core or wrap-spun spinning technologies.
ern-day next-to-skin base-layers employs seamless “There are now a greater number of options
and flat-knitting technologies. These technolo- in the market, across the entire supply chain,” says
gies are being used to make an extensive range of The Woolmark Company’s General Manager of Pro-
mid- and outer-layer garments too. Seamless ap- cessing Innovation and Education Extension Julie
parel is unique because it allows for a combination Davies. “We work with and connect yarn suppliers,
of different patterns and knit structures, such as machinery manufacturers, garment manufacturers
a jersey knit next to a rib knit or eyelet, in different and brands to lead the way for technically advanced
colours on a single piece of fabric. By engineering a apparel. The greater engagement by spinners on
garment to have features such as compression and developing new yarns, by engaging directly with
breathability points on a single structure, it allows sports brands for specific product developments,
for greater diversity and enhanced comfort.
Leading sports brands across the world know
reflects the continued growth in this area.”
“It’s all about creating a better body
all too well the importance of seamless knitting,
particularly for high-performance sports apparel
such as running, cycling and ski. They offer superior
climate for the end user and we achieve this
protection by makeing use of special compressed
knitted structures that act as reinforced zones.
“Seamless apparel has been a part of the
through seamless innovation.”
sports apparel landscape for decades and has grown
in popularity in recent times as we see breakthroughs
in yarn – from Merino wools to performance polyes-
ters and everything in between – coupled with ad-
vances in circular knitting technologies,” explains
adidas Senior Director Running Apparel Craig Van-
deroef. “We can now offer the consumer engineered
body-mapped performance, without the irritation
of seams, keeping the athlete cooler, warmer and
even odour free. We can do all of thism, and add
performance visuals and engineered style compo-
nents, all while reducing the waste within the fab-
ric process. We achieve this by using yarn dyes and
placed yarn performance instead of cutting up three
or four fabrics and sewing them together. What
this ultimately means is that athletes get next-lev-
el performance and a new level of styled comfort.
Anything that offers that is going to be popular.”
In recent years, the activewear market's
understanding of, and appreciation for, wool has
grown exponentially. As a result, wool is now seen
as a formidable opponent to synthetics in the seam-
less space. More wool-rich performance apparel in
store has been the welcome result.
"It's all about creating a better body climate
for the end user and we achieve this through seam-
less innovation. [We create] high-performance,
state-of-the-art technical garments [by using] com-
fort-mapping knitting techniques [and] ultrafine
52 53Techno Fashion Entrepreneur Miroslava Duma has brought together some of science's greatest minds to imagine a better, more environmentally responsible, fashion future, writes Kristen Bateman.
For over two years, the Russian investor and innovators we work with goes way beyond just
and entrepreneur Miroslava Duma worked behind the fashion industry and into automotive, health-
the scenes on her most elaborative project yet: the care, aerospace and many others.” That is to say,
Future Tech Lab [FTL]. Launched in May 2017, the the company's name change coincided with the
hybrid company (which only recently transformed company's deliberate pivot towards the wearable
from its original title of Fashion Tech Lab) com- tech space. “Within the industry, we have reached
bines aspects of an experimental lab, an invest- a crossroads with wearable tech where in order to
ment fund, a research centre and an accelerator. advance to the next generation of innovation we
The lab functions as a “factory of the future,” in must create and adopt new technologies, for exam-
Duma’s words. Its biggest focus is on sustainability, ple shifting wearable tech to be closer to the body,”
with the lab currently pursuing opportunities that says Duma. “Many of these solutions lie within de-
mix fashion with the future of technology, such as velopments led by research labs all over the world,
making biodegradable or textile-based circuits. and we are focused on helping to get the solutions
That’s in addition to using “synthetic biology-based out of labs and to the consumer through products
technology” for lab-grown materials, ranging that are sustainable, beautiful, and manufactured
from bacterial-based dyes to lab-grown mycelium efficiently at scale.”
leather. But as Duma says, the concept goes far In one recent collaboration with Salva-
beyond thinking green. tore Ferragamo, "Orange Fiber", FTL pushed the
“The word sustainability itself is seriously limits of fashion and apparel by rendering an en-
overused,” she says. “FTL is more about empow- tire collection in a silky patented material made
ering the fashion and apparel industry through in- from orange by-products. In late 2017, Dropel and
novative processes, which in many cases have been machine-washable Mongolian cashmere t-shirt with
around for 50-70 years, but have never had applica- a retail price of [ just] $150.
tions outside of labs and research institutions. FTL But FTL's recent collaboration with the
is bridging fashion and technology, translating the Woolmark Company could be its most exciting to
work of engineers and scientists into ‘fashion lan- date. The companies teamed up to offer a new prize,
guage’, bringing it to market,” she explains. as part of the International Woolmark Prize emerg-
“My generation is all about sustainability and ing talent program, for innovation in wool fabrica-
understanding how things are made, what the tion. The new prize is focused on finding creative
social, economic and environmental impact of their ways to reduce the social and environmental foot-
production is,” she says. True to her word, Duma print of fashion production.“Fashion is a language
recently invested in Reformation, one of the most of personal expression, of individuality, beauty, aes-
successful sustainable American fashion labels to thetics,” Duma explains. “None of this should be
date. The brand specialises in casual dresses, jeans compromised to incorporate technology because at
and t-shirts made of fabrics such as Tencel, which the most basic level, if something isn’t beautiful, no
is made from regenerated wood cellulose. “In fact, one will want to wear it.”
a third of millennials actually say they are more like- This year, the hybrid companywill make its
ly to buy from companies that are mindful of social next huge leap by launching the “Experimental Lab”.
responsibilities. Our children, the next generation This exciting new project will bring together visionary
(Gen-Z) will take what sustainability and innova- designers to create products that bridge technology,
tions mean for the planet even more seriously.” science and sustainability. “This pillar will serve as
Before founding FTL, Duma created the a platform to showcase the technologies that we
digital company and lifestyle platform Buro 24/7 in scout for and find in over 150 countries all over the
2011, and the e-commerce website The Tot, which world, as told through the eyes and hands of the most
specialises in recommending products for mothers, talented designers,” says Duma. “We will create
in 2016. Earlier still, she worked as the Special Proj- state of the art innovative and sustainable products
ects Director for Harper’s Bazaar and as a freelance at the intersection of radical innovation and
writer for publications ranging from Vogue to Tatler. visionary design.”
Her varied experience helped her to connect with
athe right people to help her run the lab successful-
ly, such as Dr. Amanda Parkes, a fashion technolo-
gist, to the lab as its chief innovation officer.
According to Duma, Dr. Parkes had been
working on wearable tech research for over a decade
at MIT, long before the concept was mainstream. It’s
this long-term expertise that gives the lab one of its
many cutting-edge advantages. “This gives her a very
deep perspective on where the industry has come
from and more importantly, where its potential fu-
tures lie,” she explains. When the duo, who now work
closely together, first met, Dr. Parkes was already in-
volved in mentoring some of the same companies
FTL now works with on a regular basis, such as
Dropel Fabrics.
In announcing the change of its name to
Future Tech Labs in December 2017, the brand
wrote on Instagram: “The genius vision of scientists Opposite page: American
biotechnological firm Bolt
Threads creates fibres
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