CELTIC & CO. x HD® WOOL INSULATION
At Celtic & Co., we take pride in embracing natural, sustainable style in our collection of British-made, waxed cotton outerwear. This now includes our insulated waxed jackets which have been carefully crafted using hand-selected, fully traceable British Wool in collaboration with HD® Wool Apparel Insulation.
ABOUT HD® WOOL APPAREL INSULATION
HD® Wool Active Insulation HD® Wool Active Insulation provides enhanced performance through natural thermoregulation and odour resistance, together with a high warmth to weight ratio. Wool is renewable and naturally biodegradable, and can decompose in both land and sea.
HD® Wool Active Insulation identifies ethically grown wool with traceability assurance though the Woolkeepers® quality assurance platform. As well as this, their sustainable efforts also include a partnership with Land2Market™ which supports farmers on their journey to grow regenerative British wool, as well as ongoing work to build higher welfare schemes for animals and people.
Visit their page for further information at hdwool.com
Celtic & Co Supplier Q&A
Jo Dawson, Chairman H Dawson
1. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself and where the drive behind HD® Wool Apparel Insulation came from?
I grew up on a farm and the H. Dawson family business is a 134 year old wool merchant based in Yorkshire. Since 1888 the Dawson family has supplied the finest to the coarsest wool to and from countries all over the world, using its global network to secure a consistent supply of quality traceable wool to be manufactured in the areas of clothing, interiors, soft-furnishings, carpets, engineering and industrial end uses. Recently, the business founded the HD® Wool Apparel Insulation brand, which is a performance wool garment insulation business founded by H. Dawson and involves a highly experienced team based in the UK and USA selling to apparel brands worldwide. We are based at the UN World Heritage Site Salts Mill in Saltaire and are heavily involved in the drive to improve awareness of wool as a natural, renewable, biodegradable and climate-beneficial fibre.
2. How do you support the wool farmers sourced via the assurance platform The Woolkeepers®?
H Dawson is the glue that brings together modern value-adding wool-based supply chains. The company uses the knowledge gained during its 134 year existence to transform all wool fibres into useable textile raw materials that are fit for the modern consumer. This complements the company’s Woolkeepers® initiative. Set up in 2019 by H.Dawson and fellow British wool supplier Brannach Olann, Woolkeepers® is a sourcing and quality assurance platform which aims to provide traceable and independently verified British wool at a fair price for the producer. There are over 600 farms signed up to the initiative, which has now supplied in excess of over 600,000 kg, some of which has been specially selected for HD® Wool Apparel Insulation for performance outerwear and adopted by global brands such as Celtic & Co, Finisterre and others.
3. What do you think is the importance in having traceability within an organisation in this industry?
The farmer has been kept away from the consumer for too long, so we are wanting to create that link between the consumer and the farmer. It means the farmer knows exactly where their wool is going and a consumer knows where their wool is coming from”. The Woolkeepers® community goes beyond current farming legislation and animal welfare best practice to assess and reward producers for their positive farming practices. It also pays above the market price to make sure that the farmer is actually making money on their wool, and they're not losing money, which they currently are in many cases.
4. What do you see as being the key benefits behind using wool over synthetic materials?
Wool is the original performance fibre and is long overdue its current resurgence. It is an incredibly resilient fibre. You can bend a wool fibre over 20,000 times before it breaks. This means that it is a very durable fibre which ultimately leads to less waste and landfill. Each time a fibre is processed, it becomes shorter so there is a limit to how many times this can be done, but when a wool fibre becomes too short to be classified as a textile raw material, wool makes an excellent compost and soil conditioner. It is also a more thermoregulating fibre than petrol-based alternatives, meaning that when you’re active it’s great at keeping you warm but also letting your skin breathe so you don’t overheat.
5. What are the next steps moving forward for HD® Wool Apparel Insulation?
We’re continuing to grow in apparel and are also being asked by increasing numbers of businesses to help them move away from plastics and replace their polyester components with wool or other natural fibres. Also, the regenerative agriculture movement is the single biggest opportunity for the wool industry to re-position itself. However, as it’s a hot topic it is important that claims can be backed up with independent verification, hence our collaboration with the Savory Institute as their first Land To Market supply chain partner.
OUR JACKETS
The fibre composition of the insulation inside these new outwear lines is 75% wool and 25% Ingeo, meaning the insulation maintains its high loft and durability even after washing.
All wool used in the making of the insulation is sourced through The Woolkeepers®; a bespoke quality assurance platform which was developed to provide producers a sustainable route to market whilst giving consumers the confidence that the wool can be traced and certified.
WOMEN'S OUTERWEAR
Our Autumn 2022 range welcomes the latest addition to our women's range of waxed cotton outerwear. This flattering and practical jacket features a removable quilted gilet that can easily be detached from the outer shell of the garment. The gilet utilises HD® Wool for insulation.
MEN'S OUTERWEAR
Introducing our two new waxed cotton menswear lines for authentic, minimalistic style. Our Men's Waxed Cotton Jacket is designed with durable practicality in mind, whilst the Men's Waxed Cotton Overshirt is the ultimate transitional layer to see you into the cooler seasons.
Both styles have been crafted with a quilted inner layer in our signature checked cotton with HD® Wool for insulation throughout.
