On Sunday morning I drove to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival at the Howard County Fairgrounds.  The Festival, whose “purpose is to educate the public about sheep and wool,” is huge and may cause a little culture shock for sheltered urbanites (even though DC has several of our own 4-H clubs).  Just calm yourself down with a corn dog and park it at the sheepdog demonstration.  We’re all Americans here.

As a fashion luddite, I’m just beginning to understand where cashmere comes from (the cashmere goat of course).  But I’m still confused about fleece, which is a man-made polyester fabric, yet the coat of a sheep is referred to as its “fleece.”  Regardless, often multiple materials, both from an animal, a laboratory and the ground, are combined into one piece of clothing.  Such as the wool/nylon shell and cotton/polyester lining of my Fink winter coat from Urban Outfitters.  Clearly, they can all get along.

Anyway, let’s drop the sheep-speak and get to the point.  My jacket grew off a goat!  In the hands of an expert, perhaps a frightened goat, but often unharmed and cooler in the summer after a smooth shearing.  Witness the origins of your wool below, but first, let’s weave.

Photo Credits: Joshua Yospyn/Worn Magazine (please ask permission to use our images)

Did you enjoy this post?  Then please support us by purchasing the print edition of Worn Magazine.