Copy of About Wild Wool Australia 2.0

With a history etched deep in the Australian landscape, Wild Wool Australia had its earliest beginnings over 50 years ago, when co-founder Todd Watts’ grandfather commenced his career as a teenager in the sheep shearing sheds of rural New South Wales. Working with sheepskin and leather taught Todd’s grandfather an appreciation for one of the rawest, natural and most versatile materials on this earth – sheepskin, and it was this passion that saw his grandson Todd, follow in his footsteps to work with the iconic material two generations later.  

In 2017, after learning the trade of small business from his parents and grandparents before him, and spending most of his life honing his skills as a leather craftsman, Todd, together with his wife Hannah, commenced work to create a locally managed manufacturing workshop that would truly go back to basics – delivering premium quality, handcrafted sheepskin and leather footwear and apparel that filled a hole in the luxury market, but also delivering collections that had a conscious composition in the way they were designed, sourced, crafted and created. And so, Wild Wool Australia was built from the ground up, to operate seam by seam, with a transparent conscience in the footwear industry.     

At Wild Wool Australia, there are no conveyor belts or mass production techniques. Instead, you’ll find ethically sourced, one-of-a-kind leathers, the fluffiest of Australian Merino sheepskin, and sheepskin boots being artfully crafted by our talented makers, most of whom have mastered their craft over decades of practice and precision.

 

We say no to mass-produced product lines that end up in landfill before they’re even worn, and only make to order.

We say no to “fast-fashion” that lasts a single season and create products to last season after season.

We say no to passing the buck when it comes to the quality of life of our workers, and transparently operate our own workshop with our own direct employees on Australian shores.

We say no to synthetic materials that disappoint after only a few wears, and choose only long-lasting, durable and hardwearing materials that are designed to stand the test of time.

We say no to wasteful packaging, and only use biodegradable and recycled paper goods.

We say no to high eco-impact materials, and base our collections on sheepskin and leathers that exist solely as a by-product of another industry.

 

We minimise our waste down to the last square inch, by repurposing our sheepskin offcuts into small accessories, ensuring more than 90% of our materials are used for a meaningful purpose.

We say no to 30-day warranties on fast-fashion items, and stand by our products for at least 12 months after purchase.

We say no to destructive manufacturing techniques, and adopt age-old low impact crafting techniques.

 

 

We give conscious consideration to every aspect of our operations, from the way our products are designed, to the way they are manufactured, packaged and sent, allowing us to handcraft thoughtful pieces that are not only premium in terms of their quality, but have a light footprint on our earth in every possible way.

Unlike other big companies, who hold out that their corporate responsibility ends with ensuring the workers in their factories are paid “the legal wage” according to the laws of the country their products are manufactured in, Wild Wool Australia takes pride in putting its best foot forward when it comes to corporate social responsibility in every sense of that obligation.

At Wild Wool Australia, you can confidently buy less, and buy better, knowing we’re doing everything we can to take care of the rest.

OUR FUTURE We know we can always do better and we won’t stop having conversations about ways we can improve. As we work towards powering our workshop entirely from the sun, and reinvesting in technologies which will allow us to recycle our footwear at the end of its long lifecycle, we’re driven to make our footprint on this earth lighter by the day.