Part of Londons iconic Savile Row was filled with sheep and turned into a grazing meadow to help raise awareness of the British wool industry on 5 October. The street was covered in turf and closed to traffic while Bowmont Merino and Exmoor Horn sheep grazed along it.
The aim was to publicise the UKs National Wool Week, which is backed by the Prince of Wales and is now in its sixth year. For a decade the British wool industry was shrinking, but thanks in part to the campaign, wool farmers are now enjoying renewed success, according to event organisers.
Its been, I think we can truthfully say, a very great success because the price of wool has very nearly doubled from that disastrous period, farmers are no longer leaving the industry and, more to the point, people really value wool in a way which they didnt which is why all the cool designers and decorators are using wool, said the Nicholas Coleridge, chairman of the Campaign for Wool.
Another message from the event was that woollen garments are sustainable and biodegradable and, say organisers, they can last for decades. In todays era, its very difficult to get good quality clothing and a personal touch on it as well − you know, clothing that lasts long because todays ready-to-wear market is all about producing and throwing away, which is not the statement we want to make, said Savile Row apprentice coat-maker Reza Haraji.
National Wool Week runs until 11 October.
