Previous years have seen Savile Row taken over by sheep, teams of super knitters take to national rail to break speed knitting records, the global launch of Wool Modern -a fashion and interiors fusion exhibition, in 2012, the launch of Wool School - the campaign's first fashion based educational initiative and in March this year the largest ever wool show case - Wool House, which focused on interiors and lifestyle design and was held in Somerset House.

Growing in participants and momentum, 2013 sees The Campaign for Wool take over the UK during Wool Week, with a variety of exciting events and inspiring initiatives with the aim of highlighting wool as a natural, renewable and biodegradable fibre.

Wool School

Following a successful first year the initiative welcomes Margaret Howell, Topman, Christopher Raeburn, Folk, Barbour, Brora and Albam to the roster of top UK fashion labels aligned with UK universities. For a second year running the project has seen students introduced to a retail partner and given the opportunity to design a wool jumper for their company keeping this year’s theme ‘knitwear traditions of the British Isles’ front of mind.

The campaign received 1000s of entries, one student per retailer has been selected and 15 jumper designs have been developed, manufactured and will be available in stores to coincide with UK Wool Week: 14th-20th October 2013. 5% of WOOL SCHOOL jumper sales will go back into fashion education programmes across the UK.

Knit Nation

This year Wool Week celebrates haberdashery and encourages the nation to pick up knitting needles. An exciting partnership with John Lewis will see a week-long agenda of fashion forward knitting and wool craft classes hosted by some of the UK’s finest knitwear specialists at both Edinburgh and London stores. John Lewis’ partners such as Erika Knight, Rowan, Arne & Carlos and Milamia will create bespoke patterns and demonstrate techniques for all skill levels, showcasing knitting in its most contemporary form.

John Lewis’ Oxford Street window will come to life as live knitters knit their way around a plain white room setting. The installation will develop over the course of Wool Week, emerging as a flurry of colourful knit patterns.

Drop by throughout the week to see the best in industry sharing their woolly knowledge, all skill levels welcome.

Picknit

Craft, knitting and crochet rules supreme with the launch of Picknit; the knitting party that friends, strangers and customers can participate in by hosting their own PicKnit at home, school, in a shop, café, on a beach or anywhere at all.

The PicKnit team will be hosting an event in KENDAL on Sunday 13 October from 10.00am - 3.00pm at Low Sizergh Barn. Simply bring a rug, picnic and needles to join in the family fun.

Royal Academy of Arts of Arts

The Campaign for Wool will support the Royal Academy’s ‘AUSTRALIA’ exhibition, the largest collection of Australian Art ever seen outside Australia, running from 17th September to 8th December. 

The Campaign for Wool’s Australian Funding Partner, The Woolmark Company will focus on celebrating the role that wool has played in forming both the landscape and culture of the nation. To close Wool Week a flock of Aussie/English Bowmont Merino sheep will make a special appearance in the courtyard of the Royal Academy on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th October as part of the RA’s family learning programme where kids of all ages will be encouraged to meet the sheep and learn about the wool fibre.

The British Wool Marketing Board