The Campaign for Wool Names John Smedley’s Ian Maclean as Chairman

by · WWD
Ian Maclean has been named chairman of the Campaign for Wool, which was founded by King Charles III.Courtesy

LONDON – Ian Maclean of knitwear manufacturer John Smedley, has been named chairman of the Campaign for Wool, replacing the late Peter Ackroyd.

Maclean is chairman of John Smedley Ltd, which was founded, and is still owned, by his family. The Campaign for Wool highlighted his “commitment to wool and his extensive experience” across manufacturing, fashion and textiles.

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Maclean said, “As a longstanding supporter of the Campaign since its inception, I have seen first-hand the importance of [King Charles‘] vision in bringing together the many different parts of the wool community.”

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He added: “Wool has such an important role to play in the future of textiles, with its natural, renewable and biodegradable qualities making it increasingly relevant as we seek more sustainable materials and more responsible ways of producing and consuming.”

Maclean served as president of the Sandringham Association of Royal Warrant Holders in 2025, and chair of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust from 2022 to 2025. He has been a director on the board of the UK fashion and textiles trade association (UKFT) for the past 12 years and is chair of the Textile Committee for The Clothworkers’ Company.

King Charles is founder and patron of the Campaign for Wool, which launched to consumers in 2010. The purpose is to raise awareness of the sustainable properties of wool as a natural fiber and to promote its many uses across fashion, interiors and other lifestyle categories.

It is also meant to support the farmers and wool growers across the British Commonwealth in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa.

The announcement comes in the midst of Wool Month in the U.K., which brings together farmers, manufacturers, designers, brands, retailers and consumers through a program of events highlighting the use of wool in fashion, interiors and artisanal products.