Rooted in the City: The London City Farm Project

A Q&A with Justine Kate Lee, founder of the London City Farm Yarn Project.

In a city better known for its skyscrapers than its sheep, the London City Farm Project is quietly reshaping how we think about fashion, wool, and sustainability. We caught up with founder Justine Kate Lee to find out how a passion for British sheep breeds and community collaboration turned into a bold urban yarn movement with a big message.

Can you share the story behind the London City Farm Project? What sparked the idea and how did it all begin?

While I was researching British sheep breeds and their fleece during my MA in 2020, I discovered that many of the rare breeds I was interested in were actually on my doorstep — right here in West London. On visiting them to collect fleece to spin up and add to my swatch library I noticed much of the fleece was being wasted, this seemed such a shame that this valuable fibre was not being used. The reason? I was given was the farms were simply too small to process or transport their fleeces economically.

It felt like such a shame — and that’s when the idea came to me: if we could work as a community and pooled all the fleece together, we could create something useful and truly local.

What sets your yarn apart from others, and why is having a fully traceable supply chain so important?

The sustainable fashion market is full of companies greenwashing their products, a 100% wool garment does not make it sustainable, as it may be processed on the other side of the world – and in farms that do not have the same animal welfare standards as we do in the UK

For me, traceability is non-negotiable. I want to know where the fleece comes from. I do not want wool that has a high carbon footprint, and I want the highest possible provenance. The traceable system means everyone can be confident that the wool meets these high standards.

What have been some of the biggest challenges getting the project off the ground — and how did you overcome them?

There have been many challenges during this project, one of the first hurdles was the logistics of transporting fleece around central London — anyone who’s ever tried to drive through the city will understand. We set up three collection hubs in North, Southeast, and West London, and thanks to the support of two fantastic city farmers (and their trailers), plus my own car, we managed to move all the fleece to the British Wool grading depot in Ashford.

This brings me to the second challenge, quality, as these sheep are kept for educational purposes and there is a full mixture of different wool types from fine to hill and mountain. Also, many are also kept in straw bedding, which is difficult to remove and process. this problem was dealt with by the very capable Spencer from the BW Ashford depot who went through all the fleeces and separating the coarser wool onto other applications, like carpets, insulation and hardwearing textiles so nothing went to waste. We began with one tonne of fleece and ended with 500kgs of high-quality wool for hand and machine knitting, this went to processing in Yorkshire.

You’re passionate about British wool and regeneratively farmed fibres — why are they so important in fashion today?

From my research into making a sustainable garment, it was obvious to me, you had to start at the beginning, making sure the methods of producing the fibre were as sustainable as possible. Talking to farmers I understood that qualifying for Organic status was a timely and costly process.

This was the gold standard in creating truly sustainable products but there is room for the regenerative farmers in the UK as most farms are relatively small. The methods of grass-fed sheep, being rotated around the fields helps protect the soil without the need for chemical fertilisers. These methods are highly accessible for small-scale farmers and closely reflect traditional, nature-led farming approaches. Combined with the UK’s strict animal welfare standards, this way of farming offers a genuinely sustainable alternative.

You may wonder why these farming methods matters to wool, well there are a few reasons:

• • • Grass-fed sheep grow better-quality fleece.
    • Native breed sheep are better at fertilising the soil as they have smaller hooves that work the dung into the soils. This is important as it keeps the need for all the native breeds to be protected.
    • Wool from the native breeds has a much more diversity, including longer and more lustre staples as well as offering more natural colour and character than the commercial breeds.

If you want to wear quality garments that have the least impact on the environment than you need to make sure the fibre is created in that way.

What kind of future do you see for small-scale, hyper-local wool production in the fashion industry?

I think the small scale hyper local wool production has a future for the very top end of the fashion industry as there is real interest in the rare, special British breeds or for small scale farmers who want to sell the wool as an added product.

I think the fashion industry is still very much driven by price which can only be achieved by amalgamating smaller farms, as with the London City Farm Yarn project. This has proved it can be successful to work together as a community and produce a yarn that can be sold at a profit so all contributors can benefit.

I think the future for small scale farmers looks challenging, diversifying and making the best use of every product is the way forward. There will be more cheap lamb imports in the future, therefore farmers need to produce products that have a story and have value to the customers, the wool, lamb, cheese may not be the cheapest, but it is the best, customers need to know the story behind the products to help build a support base.

Are there any exciting plans, partnerships, or goals coming up?

Yes! I’ll be exhibiting the range at the Sheep Drive in September and also have a stand at Unravel, when I will also be launching my book. I will be attending lambing, spring, and summer fairs at the City Farms.

The main goal it makes this pilot project successful, so that is showcases the possibility of working as a team and also that it can raise funds for the City farms, if the farms see the potential, they may be persuaded to have sheep breeds that are known for quality wool and maybe we can create a London sheep.

How can people support or get involved in the project?

There are lots of ways to help:

1. 1. 1. Back the Kickstarter campaign, which runs until 21st May.
      2. Visit your local city farm and attend events — I’ll share a full list on my website under the London City Farm Yarn section.
      3. If you’re a brand, consider using the London City Farm Yarn and telling its story through your own range.
      4. Check out the Ossian Knitwear website after May to explore the full collection — all profits go toward running the project.
      5. Talk to your local city farm and ask if they’re involved — if not, encourage them to join next year!

To learn more or get involved, visit ossianknitwear.co.uk and explore the London City Farm Yarn collection.