WoolDreamers: Restoring the value and craft of wool

By Malin Norman

Wool is not just a material; it is part of a culture, a territory and a community. The Cobo family in Mota del Cuervo has been working with wool for over a century – shearing, washing and spinning. Through WoolDreamers, the family manufactures yarn for knitting, whilst Wool4Life is where they create finished wool textiles. Two paths, the same origin.

WoolDreamers was born in Mota del Cuervo, in the Spanish region Castilla-La Mancha, where the craft of working with wool has a long heritage. “Here, we work with wool not as a product, but as a responsibility,” says Ramón Cobo, managing director. “We haven’t invented a new trade. We’re simply carrying on a very old one.”

The Cobo family has been working with wool for generations – preparing the highest quality yarn, with respect for the material and the craft. As expressed by Ramón: “Deep down, the work remains much the same: receiving the wool, learning how to read it, and guiding it from the moment it arrives from the fields until it’s ready to continue its journey.”

Photo: WoolDreamers

Knowledge passed down through generations

The wool industry has a rich heritage in Spain. In fact, it was considered a high-value material in the 18th century and much of the country’s culture, economy and history was built on wool – it was the white gold of Spain.

The first reference to the Cobo family working with wool dates back to 1923, when Ramón’s grandfather Julián, along with an uncle of his, worked in a wool blanket workshop. His children helped in the workshop and two of them, Ramón’s father and a brother, decided to continue with the trade. At that time, wool was collected in carts and washed in places such as the Saona River, near Mota del Cuervo. Wool was an integral part of daily life and the landscape. In 1984, Ramón’s father built a wool washing facility with his brother – one of very few still standing today.

Over time, the relationship with wool changed, transformed and was resumed. “The wool industry changed; when tractors were introduced, when synthetic fibres entered the market, and when wool was no longer considered a high-value product but instead an animal biproduct,” says Ramón. “Our family had to adapt. We had to find new customers, invest in new machines, and so on, in order to survive.”

Photo: WoolDreamers

Restoring the value of Spanish wool

Started six years ago, WoolDreamers is a family-led initiative built on generations of knowledge. WoolDreamers works alongside farmers and shepherds, with native sheep breeds, and through the sorting, washing, carding and spinning of the fibre. The purpose is to restore the value of Spanish wool, support the local communities behind it and build a more transparent and meaningful wool industry.

Photo: Wool4Life

Starting with two families of shepherds, WoolDreamers now partners with more than 30 families in the area. Sustainability is crucial and the family has identified four pillars: the social aspect and supporting the local community, the ecological aspect and working only with natural materials, the economical aspect because “you cannot be green if your numbers are red,” as expressed by Ramón, and lastly the cultural aspect, to promote the heritage and culture.

Photo: Wool4Life

Wool4Life, a natural extension of wool

Wool4life is the creative and contemporary expression of WoolDreamers. The textile design studio was born a couple of years ago as a natural extension of working with wool. “Wool has a large number of possibilities. This is just a continuation of our work with the same values and the same material,” says Ramón. While Wooldreamers manufactures yarn for knitting, Wool4Life creates finished wool products, including clothing and interior décor such as rugs, blankets, cushions and garments.

Photo: Wool4Life

In the design studio, wool sets the pace. Here, collections are not produced according to the pace of the industry, but rather according to the rhythm of the material and the craft. With Wool4Life, the team also partners with local shepherds. “The shepherds do amazing work, striving for a better life. For them and for us, this is not just yarn or a blanket, it’s so much more – it’s a life project.”

Anything produced by Wool4Life is made to last. “The garments reflect a way of being in the world. They don’t follow seasons or trends; they are classic, timeless and well-made wool products,” adds Ramón. “These are 100 per cent wool pieces, made with respect together with artisans – always listening to the material, the territory and the craft.”

Photo: Wool4Life

wooldreamers.com
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Instagram: @wooldreamers
Instagram: @wool4.life

WoolDreamers organises guided tours on selected dates throughout the year, where visitors can discover the entire wool process. In the showroom, it is also possible to see and purchase WoolDreamers products.

Read the feature on issuu