By Louis Iannaco
LAS VEGAS—Among the many announcements, press briefings and news events to come out of Surfaces, how could there be any more interesting than an idea hatched by His Royal Highness? Spearheaded by the Prince of Wales, the Wool Project is his majesty’s initiative to bring the natural and sustainable attributes of wool to the attention of textile buyers, retailers and ultimately, the consumer. The Prince even appeared at Surfaces to plead his case. Well, sort of.

The star of his own video presentation, Prince Charles explained during a pair of British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB) press conferences why he believes it is worthwhile to get the word out about the natural attributes of wool.

“For too long, we’ve been ignoring the fact nature is capable of providing us with so much of what we need to live on this planet. As we move into another decade in the 21st century, it is clear to me that humanity is discovering the limits of its capacity to replace nature and instead is rediscovering the many remarkable ways in which nature can, in harmony with man’s ingenuity, sustain and enhance our quality of life.

“With the arrival of manmade fabrics in the last century,” he added, “wool’s use declined rapidly and this change was driven in part by the performance of the new fabrics, but also largely by cost. Wool was simply more expensive. In that cost calculation, scant consideration was paid to the full benefits of wool. We just didn’t include them in our calculations. When you look at them, these benefits are amazing.”

The aim of the campaign is to promote the use of more wool, make it fashionable and better understood, so consumers are buying with knowledge and can better understand how their choice makes a difference. The major wool organizations from around the world have climbed on board to back the Wool Project and promote wool generically, including Wools of New Zealand and the Australian Wool Growers Association.

“This is not a British Wool initiative; it is a wool project involving all wool originating from Australia, New Zealand, Britain as well as the International Wool Textile Organization,” said Ian Hartley, CEO of BWMB. “Wool clearly needs to be better understood, regardless of its brand or origin. Wool prices have suffered globally, not just in one area. This is an excellent opportunity for wool.”

According to Hartley, the five-year Wool Project is a global, all-encompassing campaign in which the U.S. and Canada will also be invited to come along. “This all-embracing campaign will try to increase the awareness about the benefits of wool. It will not differentiate between wools for fashion, for bedding or for carpets, rather it will encompass all types of wool.”

In an earlier press conference in England that kicked off the campaign, Nicholas Coleridge, managing director of Conde Nast, the global publishing company behind titles such as Vogue, and also a Wool Project member, commented, “We want to thrust wool into the public consciousness.” He then laid out plans for a major push later in the year titled, “Wool Week,” which will kick off in the U.K. in September, with further plans for the U.S. and the rest of the world.

Bridgette Kelly, public relations manager for BWMB, noted the Wool Project is about making sure the consumer and retailer properly understand wool. “It unifies the message and makes sure everyone is speaking the same language. We just want to reinforce the messages that exist in a very simple, constructive and dynamic way to ensure wool is on the fashion agenda.”

Angelo Gualano, residential sales manager for Brintons, said his company is very happy Prince Charles is involved. “He is a household name who can lend considerable weight to the project. People know he is doing this because he is genuinely concerned about the environment and the importance of using the fiber. He fits in very nicely with what we are trying to do.”