Our Story

From humble beginnings in a little wooden hut on the market…

Hi, I’m Lynsey, a sailor, entrepreneur and craniosacral practitioner…who happens to love all things woolly.

Throughout much of my adult life, I’ve travelled the world selling and creating beautiful products, and have now settled my toes into the earth with my husband and the sea in Devon.

Wild Wool was born eight years ago, out of a strong desire to forge a more sustainable path for my business. It felt natural for me to focus on natural materials…guided by the principles to buy close-to-home for the most part, but also to offer some Fairtrade items too; although I had made a decision to minimise my air travel, having lived & travelled on the Indian continent for a few years, I knew that I also wanted to support smallscale craftspeople there.

And so, having secured our first pitch at Bath Christmas Market, we decorated our little wooden hut and filled it with a beautiful array of Bronte woollen throws woven in my home county of Yorkshire, super-warm socks made just down the road from my home in the West Country, and Fairtrade alpaca scarves that we had discovered on a little stall at a county show in Devon, in a memorable moment of serendipity.

It was a long three weeks of long long days, but our hut was a cosy, woolly beacon to market visitors, and the whole event was magical, reaffirming, and rewarding. And to top it all, we won the award for best stall! It was just the start we needed to set us on our way, and the business blossomed in its first year. These days you can find Wild Wool at the christmas markets at Lincoln and Exeter too (where we’re proud to say we scooped another best stall award in 2019!).

Many friends along the way have helped make Wild Wool all that it is, but my main ally is my dear friend and creative wizardess GeorgieLetters, who helps with all aspects of making my creative dreams come true, from packaging, to websites to funky prize-winning market stalls! Her ideas are fused with mine on these pages, and I am truly thankful to her.

Our aims…

There’s no doubt that our production, and consumption, of goods is out of balance with what is in the interests of our planet, and therefore ourselves. A huge proportion of what goes into landfill these days is clothing and textiles, and so it’s important to us that the things we sell are designed to last. Items that are made from natural fibres, produced on a small scale, and/or with sustainable and ethical manufacturing processes and employment policies, are not the cheapest option. But they are invariably more beautiful and longer-lasting than the synthetic alternatives, and if and when they are discarded, they biodegrade back to the earth. Be bold, dear friends and make your mark with your buying choices.

I have always had the environment and sustainability on my radar with regards to my business, but I don’t feel I have ever stepped fully into making it a core value of my business.
When I stopped selling jewellery and chose to sell wool, it was a strong
environmental and ethical choice; my business rocketed in the first year, and I always felt that was because I had aligned with my core values.

1% for the Planet

As I wrote the bones of this site, I tuned into what I stand for, what I want this site to stand for, and how far am I prepared to go with my choices. I knew the 1% for the Planet movement made utter sense even though it felt like a scary choice for a new online company. Doing business is for me about giving back, life is about giving back. We won’t have a planet to protect or do business in if we don’t act now and I also believe that the humbling act of giving is such a gift to ourselves as well/

“The intent of 1% for the Planet is to help fund these diverse environmental organizations so that collectively they can be a more powerful source in solving the world’s problems.” YVON CHOUINARD ~FOUNDER | find out more here www.onepercentfortheplanet.org

I am very clear today that I am willing to stand with all of the other businesses
that have made that choice to join 1% for the Planet and to let that be a
supporting bone of the spine of my business.
— We are currently donating £1 out of every purchase of our bamboo bee socks to The Darwinian Beekeeper. And we always have our eyes peeled and ears to the ground for other causes.

Thank you for taking the time to read about us – we hope it sparks something in you to become a part of our family and follow our journey…

With love ‘n’ cosiness

Lynsey

Our Choices…

We recognise that these days that where we buy from and what we buy is a powerful choice for shoppers. We wanted to create a place where people could come to shop for beautiful quality products and also to feel assured and at ease that we have taken the time to source quality, ethical items.

| We use only recycled packaging for all wrappers, cards and postage materials and are committed to keeping our products plastic-free

| We choose suppliers based on a local, recycled or Fairtrade basis to match our beliefs

| We only sell scarves and throws that are made from 100% wool

| We currently give a share of our profits to a local homeless charity, and regularly donate on your behalf to social and environmental causes we feel passionate about

| Co-operation not competition. We champion, celebrate and bolster others.

| We buy from two factories that use solar power alone in their manufacturing