For decades, many have been quick to dismiss wool, considering it to be strictly a cold-weather sweater fibre. This is a matter that the Prince of Wales, a huge proponent of the natural fibre, would be quick to disagree on.

Recently, His Royal Highness Prince Charles attended the Canadian launch of Campaign for Wool in Pictou, Nova Scotia. Started in 2010, the global endeavour raises awareness amongst consumers about the unique, natural and sustainable benefits offered by wool.

Local high school students modelled wool designs from Holt Renfrew, Joe Fresh and Pink Tartan at the launch. Local farmers, sheep, artisans and representatives of the Canadian wool industry were also in attendance.

An annual Wool Week, a weeklong festival that celebrates wool through events and workshops, will be the focus of the campaign. Canada’s first Wool Week will debut this fall in Toronto and will be hosted in partnership again with the campaign’s official founding retail partners, Holt Renfrew, Joe Fresh and Pink Tartan.

“We are thrilled to be able to bring the Campaign for Wool to Canada,” says Eric Bjergso, general manager for Canadian Cooperative Wool Growers, the campaign’s Canadian delivery partner. “Wool is a wonder material: a sustainable fabric that supports rural economies.”

Educating consumers about the versatility of wool, the campaign encourages collaboration between an international community of woolgrowers, major fashion and interior designers, retailers, manufacturers and artisans. From luxurious fine merino knitwear to fire-retardant insulation for the home, it also centres on reminding consumers of wool’s myriad uses.

Since the Campaign for Wool’s launch, it has influenced a new demand for wool on an international scale, and its efforts have seen an outstanding threefold increase in the price farmers receive for their wool. The campaign currently runs in 12 different countries, including France, Australia, Japan and the United States.

Perhaps Canadians will be similarly inspired to reinvent wool.