Our Sheep Sanctuary

In 2006/2007 Farmaround rescued 700 sheep. They were destined for the abattoir: ewes which had miscarried or missed a pregnancy;  male lambs for being male; ewes that were too old; rams that were ‘spent’.  Market prices were paid to save them. Their wool is used is used by sister company Izzy Lane to make beautiful ethical clothing. The proceeds from the sale of their wool pays towards their keep. The sheep are living out their natural lives in their Yorkshire meadows.

When Izzy Lane started, the British textile industry was on its knees. There were weavers, spinners and dyers, shutting down on a daily basis, Izzy Lane found the last of 52 worsted spinners left in Calderdale and put together an all-British supply chain to process the wool. From the scouring to carding, spinning and the finished pieces. There used to be hundreds of button makers in Birmingham, they found the last one remaining - now a working museum !

Izzy Lane, promotes the British textile industry, but above all gives animals a voice in the fashion industry. Up until Izzy Lane, there had been no traceability whatsoever of animal fibre.

Izzy Lane is the first ever slaughter-free wool brand. As well as creating a cool fashion label, Izzy Lane has been a powerful platform to raise awareness and campaign for animal rights, winning multiple RSPCA Awards, New Designer of the Year at the RE Awards (the world’s first ethical fashion awards), and being finalists in the Observer Awards, the Daily Mirror Animal Heroes Awards and the Global Sustainable Luxury Awards. It received extensive national and international press featuring in two series of ITV The Dales and other BBC TV and radio shows. Izzy Lane collections have been exhibited at London Fashion Week and in Paris, Milan, Berlin and New York ……..and in a catwalk for the late Queen ! A collaboration with Top Shop saw its' slaughter-free wool coats on mannequins in the vitrines of Oxford Street.

Izzy Lane and Farmaround both, proving that sheep can exist without being eaten.