Tag Archive for: woolacademy

Lorna Haigh Alternative Flooring guest at Wool Academy Podcast

#040: Lorna Haigh tells the wool story successfully at Alternative Flooring

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Lorna Haigh is an expert in marketing and design and brings a valuable perspective on how to market wool products and in particular wool carpets more successfully.

In this episode, Lorna explains the importance of telling the story of the people growing and manufacturing wool products. The craftsmanship involved in wool is unique and worth telling to the consumer who is ever more interested in learning about the stories behind the products. And these stories lend themselves especially well to Social Media.

Lorna also explains how Alternative Flooring takes great attention to detail into creating professional images and videos to showcase their products. Something more companies should invest into to tell better stories.

 

About Lorna Haigh

Lorna Haigh is the head of creative and marketing for the company Alternative Flooring. Lorna is an experienced marketing professional with a love of design. Her personal mantra is ‘life is too short to live in dull spaces’. And this sums up how Lorna lives and works.

Lorna has multiple industry backgrounds in advertising, exhibition and direct marketing. With all of this experience together with her fresh and energetic approach, Lorna is changing the way people look and feel about floors by bringing design, colour and a ‘textile’ approach to flooring. Alternative Flooring is now an award-winning brand and the first exclusively flooring brand to be nominated a CoolBrand for its style, and innovation. Lorna has literally led a movement where carpet is no longer boring and I look forward to talking to her about how to do that.

Connect with Lorna Haigh and Alternative Flooring here

Alternative Flooring website
Wool Academy Podcast Philippa Wright of Wright Wool

#033: Philippa Wright always brings on new perspectives to be successful in wool

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Philippa Wright, Founder and Managing Director at Wright Wool, talks about running a wool broker business in New Zealand. Being one of the few women in a leading position within the industry she brings fresh perspectives and approaches to the business. Philippa talks about motivating young people to join the industry and how she uses social media platforms such as Facebook to connect with the younger generations of farmers as well as a wider international audience.

About Philippa Wright

Philippa Wright is the Founder and Managing Director of Wright Wool.  Philippa founded Wright Wool 15 years ago, becoming New Zealand’s first and only female owner/operator Wool Broker.Philippa was introduced to the wool industry through her father Bryan, who was a Private Wool Buyer and Fine Wool Classer in the South Island. Her father of 86 years now assists Philippa with wool sale preparation and the auctions. Her life partner Dean Freeman, who is an independent Stock Agent, is the auctioneer for Country Auctions.

Wright Wool is a privately owned Woolbroker with two subsidiary companies, Country Auctions Ltd and Dag Processors Ltd. The head office and wool store business is in Waipukurau, Central Hawkes Baysubsidiarywe service all of the Hawkes Bay and wider areas. Wright Wool employs 9 experienced, highly qualified staff.

Philippa is an executive member of the NZ Woolbrokers Association, she is an active member of the National Council of NZ Wool Interests and sits on several working groups of the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO).

Philippa was one of the original flag bearers for the Campaign For Wool, an initiative started by HRH Prince of Wales, aimed at rejuvenating the global industry. She is now a Trustee of CFW NZ and was the first chair of the Trust.  Philippa represents NZ on the executive of Global CFW.

Wright Wool has recently developed a Quality Assurance Programme (WWQAP) to ensure best practice is adhered to from farm to yarn and to demonstrate the importance of delivering wool sustainability.

Connect with Philippa here

Link to the Wright Wool website
Link to the Wright Wool Facebook page
This is the Father Christmas figure Philippa mentioned in the episode. He does have a really nice New Zealand merino wool beard!
Father Christmas with wool beard by Alison Aquisitions Ltd
Source: Alison’s Aquisitions Ltd (www.alisonsacquisitions.com)
Wollmeister Berlin Jonas Sanders Wool Academy Guest

#032: Jonas Sanders about his ‘merino wool only’ shop called Wollmeister Berlin

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Jonas Sanders opened his merino wool only shop in May 2016 under the name Wollmeister Berlin. In his shop, Jonas is only selling a small number of merino wool fashion brands. With his long experience in retail, Jonas takes care to offer brands that not only perform well but also look stylish.

In this Wool Academy podcast episode, Jonas talks about how he came up with the idea to start his merino wool only shop after a visit to New Zealand. He also shares insights about his customers and how he creates new wool fans one by one.

About Jonas Sanders

Coming from a long line of textile engineers, Jonas has inherited an interest in quality and comfort in fabrics. After his postgraduate studies as sports specialist, Jonas managed for over ten years different fashion and outdoor shops. This experience allowed Jonas to study the advantages and disadvantages of synthetic materials. At the same time, he began to discover the versatility of wool.

After a visit to merino wool brands in New Zealand, Jonas decided to launch the first merino concept store in Berlin under the name Wollmeister. In his shop, Jonas is selling clothes exclusively made of merino wool – not just for sports, but also for every other occasion. Jonas takes care to select the most interesting and stylish products from a variety of labels such as Formal Friday, Funktion+Schnitt, Mons Royale, Pally Hi, Finisterre, Houdini and many more. All of the brands he sells use mulesing-free wool and most labels manufacture in Europe. In 2017 Wollmeister Berlin celebrated its first anniversary.

 

Connect with Jonas here

Wollmeister Berlin website

Wollmeister Berlin on Instagram and Facebook

Jonathan Dyson Twist Magazine 031 Wool Academy Podcast

#031: Jonathan Dyson about the growing desire of consumers to know the story behind a product

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Jonathan Dyson, the editor of Twist magazine, shares his views as a journalist on the wool industry. He explains how there is a growing desire for information of which most of that is driven by the consumer. Consumers want to know more about the story behind the product. This has the effect that brands and retailers need to provide the consumer with more information and are therefore looking towards the supply chain to find it. Jonathan also talks about how all natural fibres are heading towards a situation where they need to focus on high-value products. This means consumers need to be made aware of why these products are more expensive and have more value attached.

About Jonathan Dyson

Jonathan Dyson joined World Textile Information Network (WTiN) – www.wtin.com – as a staff journalist in 2006, and became editor of Wool Record in 2007, before re-launching the magazine as Twist in 2008. In addition, he was the WTiN head of content from 2009-11. Now in his second spell as Twist editor, Jonathan also edits the WTiN online Natural Fibres & Yarns channel, as well as Knitting International. Jonathan has also worked as a freelance journalist, contributing to The Times, The Observer and The Independent on Sunday, as well as a wide range of global business and sports media.

Connect with Jonathan Dyson here

World Textile Information Network (WTiN) website
Follow Jonathan on Twitter
Geoff Kingwill Wool Academy Podcast episode 018

#018: Geoff Kingwill About Wool Growing in the Semi-desert

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South African Wool Grower Geoff Kingwill, shares insights into what it is like to run sheep in the semi-desert of the Karoo. He explains how holistic management of sheep and land helps reverse desertification. Geoff also explains what all there is to achieve and gain when working together with all parts of the wool industry supply chain. Learn why there is never a typical day in the life of a wool grower, what the Geoff’s different income streams are and how nature is challenging him and his sheep.

 

About Geoff Kingwill

Geoff Kingwill is Chairman of the IWTO Sustainability Committee and serves on the Working Groups dealing with Animal Welfare and the Environmental Credentials of Wool. He runs a farm producing Merino sheep, Angora goats and beef cattle. Mr Kingwill is a past Chairman of both Cape Wools South Africa and the Western Cape branch of the National Wool Growers Association and is currently Vice Chairman of the board of  BKB, a Wool Broker Business.

Get in contact with Geoff Kingwill

LinkedIn