The Story

PIONEERING ETHICAL BRITISH FASHION BRAND – A VOICE FOR ANIMALS IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY

We created Izzy Lane. We rescued 700 sheep from slaughter to live out their natural lives in the peace and tranquility of the Yorkshire Dales. They were destined for the abattoir: ewes which had miscarried or missed a pregnancy;  male lambs for being male; ewes that were too old; rams that were ‘spent’.  We paid market prices to save them. To transform their beautiful wool into beautiful clothing would pay for their keep.

The British textile industry was on its knees. We managed to piece together the chain of processors. There were weavers, spinners and dyers, shutting down on a daily basis, we found the last of 52 worsted spinners left in Calderdale. There used to be hundreds of button makers in Birmingham, we found the last one remaining - now a working museum.

Izzy Lane, promoting the British textile industry, but above all giving animals a voice in the fashion industry. Up until now, there had been no traceability whatsoever of animal fibre.

Izzy Lane is the first ever slaughter-free wool brand. As well as creating a cool fashion label, Izzy Lane has been a powerful platform to raise awareness and campaign for animal rights. We have won multiple RSPCA Awards, New Designer of the Year at the RE Awards ( the world’s first ethical fashion awards ), and were finalists in the Observer Awards, the Daily Mirror Animal Heroes Awards and the Global Sustainable Luxury Awards. We received extensive national and international press and were featured in two series of ITV The Dales and other BBC TV and radio shows. Our collections have been exhibited at London Fashion Week and in Paris, Milan, Berlin and New York ……..and in a catwalk for the late Queen ! A collaboration with Top Shop saw our slaughter-free wool coats on mannequins in the vitrines of Oxford Street.

Izzy Lane, proving that sheep can exist without being eaten.