Nicci James 'Wool Can Be FELT'

We have all washed a wool jumper and shrunk it beyond belief. The natural felting phenomenon of wool is usually an undesirable characteristic… but what if it wasn’t?

Felt is formed by the tangling of wool fibres in the presence of moisture, heat and friction. The scales of each fibre lock together, irreversibly changing the fabric or garment in the process.

My innovative method for design harnesses wool’s inherent ability to felt in conjunction with the structural opportunities of knit, allowing me to precisely engineer areas of strength and flexibility within a single fabric. The first piece I have explored with this process draws on the visual language of denim, transforming the iconic trucker jacket into wool. Using the capabilities of the fibre to reimagine design classics, I am breathing new life into one of the most ancient materials, reinterpreting wool through the lens of contemporary fashion.

Nicci James is a Knitwear Engineer who recently graduated from the Royal College of Art. Nicci is prize winner in the Fashion Futures Award for Circular Design. Her interests lie at the confluence of tradition and innovation, harnessing the intrinsic properties of the wool fibre to create strength in garments.