First batch of Wool School designers display creations

Launched in April in a bid to introduce more students to the many natural advantages and versatility of wool, Wool School inspires students to create woollen designs under the guidance leading brands.

After six months of studies and creativity, the designs of the six student designers were displayed during Wool Week from November 22 to 24 at Super Brand Mall in Shanghai. These works displayed the creativity of the emerging designers, the maturity of native brands and the infinite possibilities of wool.

China Fashion Association vice-president and general secretary Zhang Qinghui, Campaign for Wool executive director Peter Ackroyd, and Woolmark Company country manager for China Wei Xiao-Ya attended the opening ceremony of Wool Week, together with a number of journalists from renowned fashion and trade media.

The students applied wool in various products, showing the remarkable versatility of wool. Anzheng presents a sweater and scarf for men, and Decoster brings a creative cushion in the shape of a cactus, Eachway creates elegant wool necklaces, ICICLE brings the iPad case and file folder, while JNBY presents a multi-functional handbag, and White Collar uses wool to produce a series of stylish suits.

Displayed in exhibition areas with unique brand characteristics, these works intuitively awaken visitors to the inherent charm of wool. The three-day exhibition also served as a perfect ending for this year’s Wool School-themed activities for the Campaign for Wool. 

“We are pleased to see Chinese retailers getting behind the global Campaign for Wool,” explained The Woolmark Company’s Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer Rob Langtry. “Now in its fourth year, the message about the benefits of choosing wool over other fibres is reaching more people than ever.”

Wool School offered an opportunity for Chinese young designers and local brands to form professional relationships. These woollen works reflected the students’ understanding of wool and were of Chinese original design. Campaign for Wool, under the patronage of HRH The Prince of Wales, aims to raise awareness amongst consumers globally about the unique, natural benefits offered by wool.

A series of international Wool Week events have also been held recently in Italy, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Japan and South Korea to communicate that wool as a natural, biodegradable and renewable fibre and to urge consumers to “Live naturally and choose wool”.

Woolmark