New knitwear range launches using Blackface wool from the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere

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A new knitwear range has been launched using Blackface wool from the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire UNESCO Biosphere.

The first ever Merrick Scottish Blackface Knitwear garments, which have been designed by Jo Storie, went on sale this week to celebrate Wool Month 2024.

It’s believed the new social enterprise is the first global fashion brand to use Scottish Blackface wool for high-end clothing, with all profits going into grassroots climate and sustainable development initiatives.

Deputy manager and business development lead for the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership, Marie McNulty, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the timeless designs that Jo Storie has created for our first ever Merrick Scottish Blackface Knitwear.

“It is a great privilege to work on a ground-breaking project which highlights how fashion can become a force for good.

“Initiatives like this are needed now more than ever, as the fashion industry releases around 1.2 billion tonnes of carbon emissions every year, with textile production contributing more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined.

“Our full Merrick range has been made entirely from products sourced and made in Britain, including the finest grade of wool sourced from flocks of Blackface sheep around the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere. More than 150 farmers and shepherds across the region produce 45,000 kilos of the finest quality grade of wool annually from Scottish Blackface sheep, so it is in plentiful supply.

“There is enough to produce 20,000 jumpers.

“Those buying Merrick Scottish Blackface Knitwear can truly feel good, safe in the knowledge that their purchase is supporting the growth of a sustainable economy and helping to address the global climate crisis.”

The team at the Galloway and Southern Ayrshire Biosphere Partnership identified the need for the new social enterprise after the value of Blackface fleece declined.

The launch of the knitwear has been supported by a crowdfunding appeal and aims to reduce carbon footprints as well as increase the value of Blackface wool. Merrick Scottish Blackface Knitwear has been developed with support from British Wool, the Scottish Blackface Sheep Breeders’ Association, and more than 400 farmers, business owners, creatives, organisations, individuals and crowdfunders throughout the Biosphere region and beyond.

Designer Jo Storie said: “It a real privilege to have been involved in the inception of Merrick Scottish Blackface Knitwear. It is unbelievable to think that Scottish Blackface yarn wasn’t used for knitting before now. It looks as good as the most luxurious knitwear brands.

“It is renewable, sustainable, strong and durable, so stitches and structures are clean and well defined, which opened a lot of design possibilities. The wool is also thermoregulating, insulating and naturally biodegradable, so it’s an obvious choice for clothing and outerwear.”

To find out more about Merrick Scottish Blackface Knitwear, visit www.merrickscotland.com.

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