The Fernhill Jacket – layer up in natural wool

With the arrival of frosty mornings and crisp days, we’re wearing wool more and more on the farm and further afield. Over the past few months we’ve been working with local suppliers to create outer wear and accessories using our beautiful naturally coloured wool.

The Fernhill Jacket is one of these items. It’s a partially lined jacket, which is perfect for slinging over a shirt or top to keep the chill out, or for layering over a knitted jumper to keep you toasty on the coldest of days.

The jacket is made from pure, undyed Fernhill wool, from sheep raised and grazed on our farm on the Mendip Hills. The wool is sent to a mill in Wales to be spun and woven into soft yet durable fabric. This is then sewn into jackets with linen trimming and wooden buttons in a sewing studio near us in Somerset.

We focused on practicality with the design. The dense weave and resilient properties of wool mean that the jacket is water resistant. There are large pockets for phone, keys, wallet and room to spare. The collar can be worn down, or pulled upright to protect the neck from the wind. The design is unisex and comes in 4 sizes.

If you’re looking for a new coat this winter, this is the perfect way to stay warm and support local production and regenerative farming methods. Jackets are available in our online shop here.

A visit to Chiltern Wool

Here at Fernhill Fibre we love working with skilled people to create beautiful products with our wool. In a world of fast fashion and enormous, plastic-filled wardrobes, we like to partner up with others who reject the notion of clothes designed to be disposable.

This week we went to visit Rachel of Chiltern Wool in their amazing workspace. Chiltern Wool – run by Rachel and her partner Steve – combines the modern technology of cutting-edge knitting machines with use of traditional materials, namely – British wool. They work with breed-specific yarns from UK farms to create a variety of garments and accessories, using fibres that are appropriate to the item to be made.

We've been working with Chiltern Wool for a while behind the scenes, prototyping and sampling whilst keeping in contact via email. But meeting in person and seeing where everything is produced gives a new perspective, and helps us know that we're collaborating with a business that shares our values. 

It was amazing to chat to Rachel about our wool and yarn, see the truly impressive equipment in the studio, and discuss new designs. We dropped off many cones of yarn all to be knitted up into lovely accessories. We’re developing a small range to start out with, and are excited to see where it takes us!

First on the list is a collection of oversized ribbed scarves in a variety of our natural colours. These will be amazingly warm but also breathable – perfect for the harsh winter we’re likely to have after this incredibly hot summer. They’ll also be unisex, focusing on quality, ethical production and classic design rather than fussy detail.

We’re expecting to have the first batch of scarves arriving soon ready for autumn. We also have some other items in the pipeline, but you’ll have to stay tuned to see them!