Farmer to fashion designer: showcasing the value and diversity of wool

Bridging the gap between farm and the consumer is something that lots of farmers are trying to do in an effort to help more people understand the reality of what goes into producing their food, and hopefully alter public opinion on why supporting and buying British is so important.

As part of their work on social media to contribute to farmer’s efforts in showcasing British agriculture, A-Plan Rural Insurance have setup a Rural Community blog, where they invite farmers to give their experiences in the industry, sharing their contributions to over 115,000 followers on Instagram. Since starting the blog, A-Plan Rural have worked with a great variety of farmers from differing backgrounds and locations all over the UK.

In their latest blog, they spoke with Polly Reid who is a shepherdess and sustainable fashion designer. She shared her farming story, from her grandparents who were dairy farmers to moving into her first smallholding with her husband. Having grown up in a town, Polly had to learn about farming along the way. She explained that she educated herself by “joining groups, asking advice from farmers, online courses and attending vet run courses such as lambing”.

She set up Polly Reid Style, a clothing brand designed to showcase the value and diversity of wool from knitwear and evening dresses to faux fur jackets made using wool fibres not plastic.

She also shared what a day in her life is like and how she manages to balance work and life whilst being pulled in so many directions.

An interesting read, find the full blog here.