As a child, my dad was a shepherd in rural Turkey. My family have farmed for hundreds of years - my grandfather was an ‘aga' which loosely translates as landowner/baron, and my great-grandfather was a General in Mecca in Ottoman times. My father often talks about his childhood, when land and animal ownership was the mark of success in rural Turkish culture.
One of my uncles seems to have been extremely bad at business, and so it was that my father was my uncle's shepherd at a very young age. There is a sad story he told me once of having no shoes. It was snowing and he was not allowed to warm himself by the fire after tending the sheep. So far, it feels so ‘fairy tale'; even writing this here, it sounds like another world, another life. And to me, it both is and isn't.
I know my father was the youngest son of the third wife of a Turkish landowner, and that he left home aged just 11 to move to Istanbul, then London. I also know he has the best whistle in North London, calls sheep ‘sheeps', and that within this mythic storytelling is a deep rooted connection to the land, to the folk songs which talk of landscapes, lost love, the magic of nature, the food which holds heritage as its core ingredient and of a wilder time, more deeply rooted in natural rhythms.
READ NOW: Great British Wool Revival: Lake District farmers showcase thriving wool business
Trade
Cut to more recent history, I am a UK Trade and Business Commissioner, and when the UK Government of the time were negotiating the UK-Australia trade deal, we heard evidence from the Farmer's Union, who explained the ocean of difference in animal welfare between the UK and Australia, while also highlighting the abysmal price British wool was receiving in the marketplace.
While sheep have to be shorn for welfare reasons, the wool was not seen as a commodity, but an expense. The fact that farmers were spending more money on shearing the sheep than they made on the wool seemed the most blatant example of where things have gone wrong.
My mind started reeling, as not only do I have a fashion background, I'm also a massive history geek, who knew that wool was the backbone of the British economy from even before there was a Britain, when these four nations were building their economies, since Medieval times. Wars, trade deals and royal marriages have been negotiated because of wool.
Drive through many towns and you will see a sign proudly announcing it as a Historic Wool Town. It seemed absolutely morally reprehensible to me that this valuable fibre, which is hypoallergenic and biodegradable, whose provenance story decodes where it is bred, raised and reared, was being seen as a waste by-product, and the farmers were not making any money from this precious commodity.
Where have we got to? Wool, which created our economy, was now being burned or composted by farmers as it was so devalued by the marketplace. A marketplace that seemed to place more value on fibres created by the petrochemical industry, such as polyester or nylon, than wool. It seemed both an economic ticking bomb, as farmers could not dual income stream their revenue from both the meat and the wool.
And, if our supermarkets became saturated with even cheaper imported Australian lamb, where did this leave British farmers? I felt this was not only an economic failure, but also a cultural one.
I set about creating The Great British Wool Revival to address this disconnection between the farm-to-fibre to fashion value chain, starting with a mapping solution to support brands to engage with farmers, spinners, dyers and vice-versa. I wanted to rebuild a broken system and re-incentivise nationwide value chains, with a functioning ecosystem.
We launched in September 2024 in partnership with The King's Foundation and YOOX Net-a-Porter (YNAP) through the Modern Artisan programme, and the ‘Dumfries House clip' throw which was made using the wool with an end-to-end farm to design delivery from across the UK, made from wool from the Dumfries House sheep, sold out within 48 hours on the YNAP website. This told me there was a market for UK wool products.
READ NOW: Perthshire sheep farmers add value with Beltex wool and natural yarn business
Price
Since then, according to British Wool, the price of wool has risen by over 29% and we have seen a massive increase in interest in British wool and natural textiles for design. Holland Cooper, a multimillion-pound brand showcasing classics with a twist, bringing a countryside catwalk to the Cotswolds, with heritage designs reworked for today's customer, shows me there is a massive market for natural fibres, heritage and British wool.
At the recent Cheltenham Races, we invited guests to our box for Gold Cup Day, Savile Row names such as Gieves and Hawkes and Jeff Banks, as well as Oliver Spencer, Charlie Allen, Harris Tweed and independents such as Herdwear and Peregrine Clothing. All of these brands use British wool to design clothes made to last. It was fantastic to see attendees at Cheltenham Races embracing this best of British heritage aesthetic.
Tweed, wool, earthy tones and strong design. This is what British design does best; when it leans into dressing us for the vagaries of our weather. Think Burberry, whose repositioning as a company based on making rainwear, alongside its recent capsule collection to mark the centenary of the late Queen's birthday, has seen a significant creative and cultural resurgence, driven by creative director Daniel Lee's revitalized, British-focused designs and a shift towards sharper, urban-inspired collections.
Burberry re-entered the Lyst Index of hottest brands, reaching position 13 towards he end of 2025, confirming its regained relevance in fashion.
None of this is a coincidence. Instead of talking down this country, I want to celebrate it.
We have a fantastic heritage across craft, culture and creativity, with a rural economy which needs more support, and it is my hope that through the GBWR we can do this, linking farmers to designers more coherently than ever before.
In a time of global unrest, with marked uncertainty about international prices and accessibility, the more we boost domicile markets, the stronger the economy here will be.
Same with food, energy as well as of course, fashion and textiles. As the GBWR map evolves it brings together farmers, graders, spinners, designers and manufacturers. In doing so, we are not inventing something new, but restoring something that once existed: a localised, traceable and collaborative supply chain.
British wool tells a wonderful and unique story. It tells you about soil health, biodiversity, breed heritage and regional identity. Britain has over 60 native sheep breeds, each producing a fibre unique to its landscape. That to me is poetic, and shows diversity is not just agricultural, but also a cultural heritage woven into every fleece.
GBWR helps plug the system's gap by supporting regenerative practices, local production and fully traceable supply chains, a fairer price for British farmers for their wool and more designers using British wool for their products.
The Great British Wool Revival is ultimately about pride. Pride in British farming. Pride in craftsmanship. And pride in creating a fashion system that rebuilds and respects both.
From farm-to-fibre to fashion, we are not just rebuilding an industry, we are restoring heritage with a revitalised value chain that respects the farmer as much as the designer.
