SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT - JULY 2003
This is both related and unrelated to our normal activity and it may or may not interest you.
I have always loved woven wool fabrics, tweeds and worsteds and have always wanted to work with them. Whilst visiting our farms, many of whom have sheep, I have been horrified to discover that much of the wool in this country is burnt. There is no demand for it as it struggles to compete with man-made fibres and Australian and New Zealand wool, which is where most of it comes from in this country. It costs a farmer 50p to shear a sheep, the fleece is hardly worth even that. I find it disgusting that, like most things our farmers produce, our beautiful wool has no value.
For the past 6 months I have been researching this, my new project to manufacture skirts from the wool of rare, primitive and our indigenous breeds. For example the North Romaldsay, a small breed from the remote Scottish islands which lives on seaweed. There is the black, multi horned Hebridean and the Wensleydale, with curly, fine and lustrous wool down to its hooves. They are incredible, fascinating sheep. I will also be using the fine wools from the indigenous Poll Dorset, the Blue-Faced Leicester and the multicoloured Shetland. The wool from each breed has its own special characteristics. I am vetting each flock to ensure impeccable animal welfare standards - a dangerous activity as I have already acquired four male Wensleydale lambs and a female one with an 'imperfection' - a little black eye. I'll be moving them back up to their homeland in the Yorkshire Dales.
The rare sheep breeders are desperate to find ways for the animals to pay for themselves. I have pledged very good prices for their fleeces. Some of the breeds have less than 500 breeding females left in the world and of course the Foot and Mouth epidemic didn't help that.
The fleeces will be collected and taken to Huddersfield to be scoured (washed) and carded (opened) before going to the World Heritage Site of New Lanark to be spun into yarn and dyed at their 18th Century mill. It will then go to Selkirk to another 18th century family-run mill to be woven into cloth. Initially I will create 7 pieces from 7 types of wool. Once we have the fabric, I will be working with a designer to make up the patterns. The cloth will then go to a manufacturer in Motherwell to be turned into skirts. He does work for Burberry, so it is to this quality that the skirts will be produced. Each garment will be limited edition. I will use a soft jersey-type lining instead of slippery acetate. I want the skirts to be comfortable and fashionable, I may well add some lycra to the mix (so we can have 'fat' days and still be able to breathe after dinner) and will use chemical dyes to gain strong colours to contrast with the natural colours.
I have also managed to find some authentic Scottish produced cashmere from Scottish goats which is quite rare as most of it comes from China and the Far East where I suspect that animal welfare is not top of their list of priorities. I will be making cashmere jumpers to go with the skirts. If the project is successful, I would anticipate expanding the ladies range and also creating garments for men. Because I am following the process through from the purchasing of the fleece to the actual manufacture, not only will this ensure the integrity and identity of the garment, but will enable me to offer them at realistic prices.
I am at the stage where I have sourced most of the fleeces. They will soon be collected and I have to make some fundamental decisions about colour and form. It is for this reason that I am appealing to you with the following questionnaire. It would help me enormously if you could spare some time to fill it out. I intend to give all farmaround customers a generous discount, that goes without saying. But for those of you who help me with my research, I will make sure that you get an irrefusable offer to stock up on skirts and cashmere.
My email address is ih.davies@virgin.net if there are any comments you would like to make.
Knowing you all as very discerning people I would greatly value any feedback you may have. I hope the questions aren't too naive, I'm learning as I go along as usual. One of many the interesting things that I have learnt in recent weeks is that wool ripens and rises. It rises as the weather warms up to allow a flow of air to cool the sheep. This is the optimum time for shearing.
Thanking you in anticipation
Isobel Davies