In The Worth of Wool, two journalists and two filmmakers speak to farmers and designers who want to restore wool’s reputation.
Whilst fast fashion floods the market with synthetic fibres, shepherds set off from Texel to Brussels in late 2026. Filmmakers Martina Novakova and Sarah Van Looy document this march. In a relay-style journey, the shepherds take their sheep from the Wadden Sea island in North Holland deep into the heart of the European capital. They hope to draw greater political attention to their profession and secure a fair price for their fleece.
In their journalistic investigation, journalists Sarah Vandoorne and Anna Roos van Wijngaarden interweave the shepherds’ journey with personal stories and political decision-making. Brussels was not chosen at random as the final destination: the European Commission is taking measures that actually hinder the revival of wool. How can we restore wool’s value?
During Dutch Design Week, Novakova, Van Looy, Vandoorne and Van Wijngaarden will present their first short film, *Her en der*: a portrait of Daphne Hogeweg, the shepherd who initiated the wool march in the dunes of Texel. Meanwhile, they are working diligently on a full-length documentary, with the wool march as its central theme.
