Wool Month 2025: Check It’s Wool
This October marks Wool Month 2025, a nationwide celebration across the UK championed by The Campaign for Wool and British Wool. Running from 3rd to 30th October, the initiative highlights wool’s natural, sustainable, and high-performance qualities. With autumn’s chill settling in, it’s the perfect moment to remind consumers why wool remains one of nature’s most remarkable fibres.
Image from Fair's Fair: Farming Fashion, Selvedge Issue 124, Rural. Photo: Joss McKinley
Launched under the patronage of His Majesty King Charles III, Wool Month is dedicated to promoting wool as a renewable, biodegradable fibre that supports both the planet and the livelihoods of 35,000 British sheep farmers. This year also marks the 15th anniversary of the Campaign for Wool, making the celebration especially meaningful.
As His Majesty, when he was Prince of Wales, once said:
“It is abundantly clear to me that we need to make changes to the way we think about the production, use and the disposal of clothing and textiles if we are going to get anywhere near to meeting the United Nations climate change goals set for the industry. A major part of that change has to be moving from a linear system to a circular one, where textiles and clothing are produced sustainably, enjoy long use, and are made using natural materials, specifically wool, which will biodegrade naturally and quickly at the end of their useful life.”
The Campaign for Wool 'Check It's Wool' Poster for Wool Month 2025
This vision lies at the heart of this year’s call to action: “Check It’s Wool.” In a world where every synthetic garment ever made still exists in some form, wool stands apart as a natural, renewable, and biodegradable resource. Unlike plastics and microfibres that linger for centuries in oceans and landfills, wool breaks down, returning nutrients to the soil and leaving no trace in waterways.
Yet in recent years, synthetic fibres have grown ever more sophisticated, designed to mimic the hand-feel and look of wool. Often, these plastic-based imposters creep into our knitwear, diluting the very qualities that make wool exceptional. This is why it is always worth taking a moment to check the label—because only real wool offers the full measure of sustainability, comfort, and longevity that nature intended.
Galway wool, Life in the Long Grass LITLG Design Studio. Featured in Selvedge Issue 122, Winter White.
And what a fibre it is. Wool is a marvel of natural engineering: breathable yet insulating, capable of absorbing up to 30% of its own weight in moisture without feeling damp, and able to regulate body temperature in shifting conditions. In cold snaps, it traps warmth; in warmer spells, it cools. Its structure creates a miniature climate, adjusting with the body and environment. Recent studies even suggest that superfine wool can soothe sensitive skin, offering comfort to eczema sufferers and overturning outdated notions of itchiness.
Wool on display in all its forms during The Campaign for Wool 2024.
A wool coat, jumper, or throw is a companion through the seasons. Wool carries an emotional weight: the sense of being swaddled, shielded, and warmed against the elements. It evokes heritage and craft, from British mills to hand-knitted heirlooms, reminding us that what we wear can connect us to both tradition and the future.
Shepherds Crook Symbol - the iconic mark of British Wool.
So how do you “Check It’s Wool”? Start by looking at the garment’s care label — genuine wool products will proudly list their fibre content. When buying British wool, seek out the iconic Shepherd’s Crook symbol, a mark of heritage, quality, and support for UK sheep farmers. Globally, the Woolmark logo also serves as a trusted guarantee, representing the highest standards of wool fibre content and authenticity wherever you shop.
This Wool Month, we are invited to #ChooseWool and #CheckItsWool. Every woollen jumper, scarf, or blanket is a conscious step towards sustainability, a celebration of craftsmanship, and a promise to future generations. To choose wool is to choose beauty, longevity, and a fibre that works with nature rather than against it.
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Image Credits:
Lead Image: Photographer Malin Lauterbach for John Sterner, Suffolk sheep shot in Öland. As featured on the cover of Selvedge Issue 96, Nordic.
All other images as credited in photo captions.