The UNUSUWUL Studio
UNUSUWUL develops garments and textiles which celebrate the properties of the fibres they are made from, retaining qualities and behaviours that can be traced right back to the fleece.
WHO IS UNUSUWUL?
Nicci James is a knitwear designer challenging the perception of wool through a contemporary lens.
Nicci James is a knitwear specialist and researcher who founded the UNUSUWUL Studio in 2023 (partly as a way to stop everything being her own name!)
Nicci initially trained in Fashion at Manchester School of Art, winning an international design competition with her collection of mens knitwear before getting a job in industry which almost killed her creative spirit.
Her innovative work began with a series of experiments when she returned to study her MA in Fashion Knitwear at the Royal College of Art. Ever curious about material properties, Nicci continued to develop her design system with funding from Innovate UK, forming The UNUSUWUL Studio in 2023.
Currently based at Cockpit Studios in Deptford thanks to support from the Haberdashers Company.
“Wool in general, but especially Native British Wool is underused, undervalued and under-appreciated. My mission with UNUSUWUL is not only to showcase wool’s diverse possibilities, but to support other designers and fashion brands to use more of it”
The UNUSUWUL Process
The UNUSUWUL Process is the name of Nicci’s innovative design system that uses knitted structures to uncover and celebrate the natural properties of wool fibres. The textiles we create transform during the fabric finishing process, revealing new textures and behaviours in the fabric itself.
If you have ever shrunk a wool jumper in the washing machine, you will know that this happens because wool felts. Felting is a natural capability of the wool fibre. Wool has scales just like human hair, felting happens when these scales lock together. It's this interlocking that causes your garments to shrink in the wash. They get a lot smaller but also a lot stronger. The UNUSUWUL design system harnesses this power of wool to remove the need for adding any other fibre, engineering strength directly into a textile, exactly where it's needed
What’s so good about the UNUSUWUL Process?
100% Wool
A natural, renewable*, biodegradable material. Durable, flame, water and stain resistant, doesn’t hold odours and has antibacterial properties. Natural temperature regulation, capabilities through its capacity for moisture management - that old “keeps you warm when you’re cold and cool when you’re hot” is really true.
Zero Synthetics
Our method means all wool, only wool and nothing but the wool. There are no additional threads, adhesives or strengtheners used in the creation of UNUSUWUL pieces.
Circular
Striving for soil to soil circularity, UNUSUWUL products are built to either:
> integrate with established wool recycling systems in the UK so they can (eventually) turn back into yarn to become another wool based product.
> Be composted and return directly to the soil ask us about our latest research study in collaboration with Northumbria University.
Highly Efficient
Our UNUSUWUL system leverages technical knitting processes to create products directly to shape with the least number of seams possible. This keeps waste to an absolute minimum compared to traditional cut and sew manufacturing.
Local & Biodoverse
The UK is home to more than 70 recognised sheep breeds because they developed in the context of the varied UK landscape. Each breed thrives in a different place, eating different vegetation and producing fibre that suits their lifestyle - Think hardy, waterproof sheep in the Scottish highlands! We are passionate about creating more with fibre, grown right here in the UK.
*Renewable
We have bred sheep that continually grow fleece and so they have to be sheared at least once every year for welfare reasons. Shearing doesn’t hurt sheep, they usually feel a lot better for the trim - same as you would if you hadn’t had a haircut for a year.