Campaign for Wool’s Ian Maclean on the fight to restore wool’s fashion credentials

Ian Maclean’s appointment as the new chairman of the Campaign for Wool comes amid a complex period for the natural fibre. While British wool prices have climbed to their highest level in nine years, renewed scrutiny over production practices during recent fashion weeks has put animal welfare back in the spotlight. The two developments nod to a sector facing both an opportunity to restore wool’s value and a challenge to defend how it is produced.

In mid-September, PETA protesters disrupted COS' New York Fashion Week show, calling on parent company H&M Group to stop using wool following footage allegedly showing sheep being mistreated at a farm linked to the fast fashion giant. The animal welfare group had argued that certification cannot guarantee humane treatment. For Maclean, however, the industry should remain focused on “visibility throughout the supply chain, giving brands and consumers confidence in where the fibre originates and how it is produced”.

Maclean’s background is rooted in wool. Currently chair of knitwear company John Smedley, he has also served on the boards of UKFT, The Clothworkers’ Company and The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust. His focus is on restoring the reputation of the material, making British and international wool more relevant to fashion brands and consumers, while improving demand and recognition of farmers’ role in the supply chain.

Repositioning British wool

For Maclean, one of the biggest barriers is the perception that British wool is only suitable for carpets and other interior products. “The reality is that the UK produces a huge variety of wool types, with a significant proportion perfectly suited to fashion applications,” he told FashionUnited.

British Wool, an organisation that collects, grades, promotes and markets British wool on behalf of UK sheep farmers, is working to address this through sourcing guides that help brands identify suitable yarns and fabrics, alongside its Wool Exchange partnership with Central Saint Martins. The programme connects designers and students with farmers, processors and manufacturers to build understanding of the fibre and its potential in contemporary fashion.

With more than 60 sheep breeds in the UK, Maclean sees an opportunity for brands to explore the different characteristics of wool. He is not suggesting, however, that British wool should replace imported fibres. Instead, he believes local and international supply chains can complement one another.

“British wool sits alongside fibres such as Australian, South African and New Zealand Merino rather than replacing them. As more brands look for locally sourced raw materials, British wool offers clear advantages around provenance, traceability and supply chain transparency,” he said.

Finer wools, particularly Merino, also remain important to British manufacturing. Their softness makes them suitable for fine tailored cloth and suiting, while their established supply chains support specialist processing and textile production in the UK.

“Fine wools support the British manufacturing infrastructure as they are processed into luxurious fine wool cloths. Wool arrived in Britain from around the world in the 1800s, and most of this early-stage processing and manufacturing infrastructure would not have survived without these volumes of wool,” Maclean added.

Prices rise, but farmers need lasting demand

There are signs of renewed commercial interest. According to British Wool, the average auction price reached 1.21 pounds per kilogram in November 2025, up from 1.00 pounds per kilogram the previous season. Its price index had risen 27 percent over the preceding two months, reaching its highest level in nine years. The organisation attributed the movement to strong competition from UK, European and Chinese buyers, alongside global demand for quality crossbred wool outstripping supply.

The increase follows wider efforts to reconnect farmers with the fashion industry. Fashion Roundtable's Great British Wool Revival, for example, working to map supply chains and bring farmers, mills, spinners, designers and brands closer together. An Innovate UK-led Wool Innovation Community project also brought industry stakeholders together between 2022 and 2024 to identify barriers and opportunities across the value chain.

For Maclean, rising prices will only translate into lasting benefits if brands and consumers continue to buy wool. “It all comes back to demand. The more consumers seek out products made from British wool and the more brands choose to use British wool in their products, the stronger returns will be for farmers. Traceability is another important piece of the puzzle."

He continued: "People increasingly want to know where products come from, and being able to connect wool back to the farm creates opportunities to add value and better recognise the role farmers play in the supply chain. Local supply chains will, I think, become increasingly important.”

The Campaign for Wool, launched in 2010, contributes to this effort through consumer education, industry partnerships and its annual Wool Month, which promotes wool across fashion, interiors and craft. Its mission lies in ensuring the result of greater awareness is sustained demand, not solely price increases.

Closing the farm-to-fashion gap

Building those connections is not straightforward. The UK no longer has the processing infrastructure it once did, which can make local production difficult for brands to navigate. Maclean, however, believes opportunities remain for companies wanting to manufacture garments from British wool closer to home.

“Farm-to-fashion supply chains also exist with Merino wools from other countries and are becoming increasingly demanded. Storytelling is key in educating consumers about wool and can be captured through video at every stage of sourcing and manufacturing, from the farm to the finished product. Digital media can highlight these supply chains much more easily, and more widely, than traditional media channels,” he said.

Animal welfare and transparency

The industry must also contend with criticism over shearing practices and mulesing, a procedure used in some sheep-rearing systems to reduce the risk of flystrike. PETA’s recent protests have challenged the use of wool more broadly, arguing that animal suffering can occur even within certified supply chains. Maclean believes visibility and informed sourcing decisions are central to addressing such concerns, while acknowledging that standards must continue to evolve.

It must be noted that while PETA's recent protests have brought concerns to the spotlight, criticism of particular practices should not be taken as a reflection of every wool producer. For Maclean, transparency is central to giving brands and consumers confidence in how the fibre is produced. He argues that brands already have access to information about suppliers’ animal welfare practices and can use it to make sourcing decisions that align with their own values.

The International Wool Textile Organisation Green Book, published in June 2026, also highlights the role of traceability systems in identifying where wool was grown and harvested, helping improve transparency across the supply chain. However, the report notes that the increased rollout of sustainability standards can create duplicated audits, higher costs and confusion for growers, manufacturers and brands. Traceability can therefore help establish a clearer picture of a fibre’s origins, but it does not, in itself, demonstrate that every animal welfare concern has been resolved.

Maclean stated: “The wool industry doesn't need to do anything different and should continue to focus on visibility throughout the supply chain, giving brands and consumers confidence in where the fibre originates and how it is produced. For British wool, that conversation is supported by some of the world's highest animal welfare standards, with increasing levels of farm-to-product traceability helping deliver assurance through transparency rather than claims alone.

“Most countries have very stringent practices and welfare policies in place. Brands have this information to make informed supplier decisions; in an industry with strong transparency, they can choose suppliers that best align with their brand values. There is always room for improvement and change, as in any industry, and the wool industry invests significant time and resources to move this forward.”

Maclean's sights will therefore be set on both demonstrating wool's relevance to modern fashion while ensuring brands and consumers can better understand its origins. Higher prices may be encouraging, but stronger demand, clearer supply chains and continued scrutiny of production practices will determine whether the sector can enable lasting progress.