The Wool Alliance champions design as a driving force to save a dying heritage

2026/07/28

The Wool Alliance is an initiative driven by Madrid Design Festival and La Fábrica, together with a multidisciplinary group of professionals. Its aim is to recover and promote wool as a fundamental material in our culture, economy, and heritage. The project stems from a shared conviction: wool is an essential part of the country's cultural identity, landscape, and future, and its future needs to be protected and fostered.

The initiative arose as an opportunity to raise awareness and visibility regarding the need to protect wool produced and processed in Spain. Its main objective is to promote actions and collaborations that contribute to transforming the reality of the wool sector, strengthening its value chain and ensuring its sustainability, always with design as a catalyst. With the support of Her Majesty Queen Letizia since April 2025, the Alliance has established itself as a collective movement that aspires to restore wool to the recognition it deserves as one of Spain's great natural heritages.

Their first major project is Metamorphosis, which coincides with the International Year of Grazing and Rangelands 2026 and demonstrates the positive impact of extensive grazing. Through six flocks and more than 4,400 sheep across Spain, the initiative combines scientific data, traceability, and strategic design to add value to wool, revitalize the rural economy, and prevent climate disasters such as wildfires. It's a collaborative ecosystem focused on transforming this traditional resource into circular solutions for the future.

The Wool Alliance invites individuals, institutions, and companies to join the movement and build together a comprehensive map of exemplary practices related to wool that will serve as inspiration for new, sustainable, and responsible projects.

All information about the initiative, the manifesto and how to join as an ally can be found on the official Madrid Design Festival website.