Woolmarch

The Woolmarch: online Event

Wool March is a project initiated by designer, wool researcher and shepherding activist Cynthia Hathaway. Her project includes events such as the annual Wool March through the city of Tilburg, and in October 2026, a cross-border rally walk from Texel to Brussels with Dutch, Belgian and German shepherds and sheep.

Bringing joy and wonder to the streets, her soft-mob events perk public awareness to the extraordinary ecological, cultural, social and economic value of wool which comes from shepherding practices. This special combination of animal – human expertise is an age-old practice at our doorsteps, but is in survival mode. It is overlooked by the textile industry favoring fossil fuel-based and blended materials, made invisible by policy supporting the agricultural sector favoring sedentary practices, and is endangered by a general misconception that rural expertise is peripheral to innovative research for sustainable futures.

The Wool March Brussels takes place during 2026, the United Nations declared Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (IYRP), recognizing shepherding as a vital, time-tested practice aligned with the EU's Sustainable Development Goals. For this, a declaration supporting shepherding will be delivered to a member of the EU Parliament headquarters.

To learn more about the Wool March, and how to join the effort, you are welcome to join us in this open event. As shepherding is a practice that connects and supports many interests, we encourage a multidisciplinary audience to gather. So, spread the news to your friends and colleagues in textile design, wool production, regenerative farming, cultural heritage, agricultural policy, nature philosophy, etc ... Come one, come all!

Program

• Introduction to the Wool March project, including Wool March Brussels.
• Importance of mobile grazing as a vital ecological practice, the protection of sheep breeds, and the wool from this practice
• Ways in which individuals, groups, and a variety of organizations can learn, engage and be part of the movement. One example being the Wool Activist Kit
• Invitation to join a second meeting with your expertise, and role you can play in the Wool March Brussels.
• Question period

🎟️ Participation is donation-based

Suggested minimum contribution (donation):

• €3 Fibershed members
• €7 non-members

🐑 Let’s support shepherds, sheep, and the landscapes we all depend on.