Here’s to Making
Hello.
Moving to a little island - a dot in the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Scotland - made us look at the world through new eyes. We learnt that we didn’t need all that much to be happy so we set out to make the most of what we have on our new island home.
We’re Jason and Yvonne and WELAN started because of a simple conversation with a crofter friend not long after we moved from London to the Isle of Tiree.
Slowing down and travelling was on our list. Taking in an orphan lamb to rescue her from the dinner table and starting an artisan slow fashion brand was most certainly not. Yet, that is what we did. And somehow one lamb turned into seven in the space of a few weeks. And seven adds up to a flock.
A year later, Noah, Kelp, Popcorn, Bubble, Nori, Dot and Matrix were thriving and we made room for more. Jeff, Rocky, Adrian, Athena, Serg and Pepper arrived. Our flock is here to stay. We believe our lambs deserve to live out their natural lives, just like you and I. And to help give them long and happy lives we had an idea. We could use their wool to make woolly hats. After all, who doesn’t like a woolly hat? We do! So WELAN was born, our woolly hat shop.
Tiree, a Scottish island paradise that’s always changing
Our new life on Tiree came with a new focus: artisan slow fashion that is ethical, local, lasting and working together with like minded people making the most of what we have on the Isle of Tiree.
As well as learning everything we could about how to look after our new flock of family members, we set out to learn how to turn their summer haircuts, which they need yearly to stay comfortable in warm weather, into woolly hand made hats. Who knew wool was so sustainable and has so many amazing properties like temperature regulating, water repellent and fully compostable?
After many weeks of trial and error the 100% Tiree Made wooly hat was born.
Every year thousands of fleeces are shipped off the island. Is there a way that we can keep them on the island, reduce the carbon footprint, and make the most of what we have? We think so.
The answer is staring us right in the face. We are now fully committed to establishing a WELAN mini wool mill on the island. Ethical, local and lasting. We know it will be a long and complex journey, but that’s the nature of slow fashion.
Here is to making the most of what we’ve got. Doing good and feeling good for a more ethical and sustainable future. And, with your help - one step at a time - we’re moving towards achieving something amazing .
