Crutchley is debut guest curator for sourcing platform The Wool Lab

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Jun 28, 2022

The Woolmark Company has partnered with British designer Edward Crutchley for its first guest curation on The Wool Lab, the company’s wool sourcing platform.

Through the collaboration Crutchley, winner of the 2019 International Woolmark Prize, explores “global cultural references and aspects of material culture, grounded in deep appreciation of artisanal textiles”.

Printed, woven, knitted or embroidered, Crutchley highlights wool’s “boundless possibilities to encourage exploration of identity and transcendence of creative boundaries through contemporary stylistic expression combining traditional and cutting-edge techniques to realise the full potential of wool”.

Raised on a sheep farm in the Yorkshire Dales, he finds the fibre’s “innate versatility and enduring potential” compel him to source material and create designs that extend from wool weavers in his native county, to developers in Japan and Southeast Asia.

Described as a “premier collection of curated innovative yarns, fabrics and processes dedicated to wool”, The Wool Lab is available in both physical and digital formats, “with a selection of wool textiles and swatches from across the world and allows for direct connection to suppliers”.

Crutchley said: “To celebrate both the marvellous natural fibre that wool is, in all its diversity, and the outstanding work of these suppliers has been such a pleasure.

“You will find things ranging from sculptural bouclé coatings to lurex embellished jacquard to the latest in 3D printing technology. My intention from the start was to show how much can be done with wool. How we can look beyond the traditional into the future.” 

Woolmark said designers and brands looking to source Crutchley’s curated wool fabrics and yarns can do so for free via The Wool Lab. 

Sourcing is available online through its digital platform, or one-on-one viewings of the physical editions can be made through The Woolmark Company and at upcoming trade shows including Pitti Filati, Premiére Vision Paris and Milano Unica.