Textile Design (BSc) graduate and current Product Innovation (MSc) student, Louisa Knapp studied in the textile-heritage rich region of West Yorkshire. Yorkshire’s abundance of working mills and sheep farms instilled an appreciation of locality and provenance into her projects and collaborations, prioritising a symbiosis with nature.

After several successful industry collaboration and awards whilst at university from companies including The Worshipful Company of Woolmen, The Worshipful Company of Weavers, Margo Selby, Campaign for Wool and Alternative Flooring, Louisa formed her own consultancy firm after graduating in 2021. Following on from her undergraduate research dissertation The Golden Hoof: the regeneration of regional wools, she discovered how rare breed wool could once again contribute to the British economy as well as wider biodiversity and soil ecology.

Knapp Textiles champions wool as a carbon beneficial material in order to achieve sustainable objectives and maximise performance capabilities through practice-driven research and development. Aimed at supporting clients of all scales, working with designer makers, manufacturers and farmers who share a similar ethos and passion for wool.