Retail Display
Abbey Deli | Christmas 2022
Wild & Wool was delighted to be asked to design a Christmas window display in 2022 for Nicky and Jon Ison who run the wonderful independent Abbey Deli in the historic heart of Bath. The Abbey Deli is also used in the Netflix series Bridgerton where it is transformed into Madame Delacroix’s dress shop “The Modiste.”
Benedict Bathington was the star of this Regency inspired window. This fox duke was dressed in an elegant costume themed from this era and looked out of the window at the Christmas shoppers with walking cane in paw. Benedict was joined by many other Wild & Wool needle felted characters who were displayed amongst velvet hat boxes tied up with satin bows and opulent baubles hanging from snow dusted branches and trees. Nicky & Jon’s Modiste merchandise was featured in luxurious Christmas parcels and the window was packed full of Christmas delight.
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Teasel England | Christmas 2017
I was approached by Hannah Shaw in September 2017 to commission a Wild & Wool Christmas window for that year. The brief was to design two separate scenes in the two windows. The first window is a woodland winter wonderland with Grampa badger and his sledge full of presents. Our wise woman squirrel also bears gifts and they are surrounded by many mice, bunny, weasel and bird friends. Above their heads fly two angel bunnies guiding their way below a luxuriously soft Teasel England fabric snow cloud.
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The second window holds Forrest fox who is looking over the Christmas gifts left by Father Christmas and awaiting his guests. Again there are many little scenes within scenes where Mother bunny reads Peter Rabbit to her sleepy baby bunnies and enjoys a cheeky glass of red wine. There are mice preparing Christmas dinner and relaxing in many poses.
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This was a wonderful project and collaboration with another great British independent wool company based in Tetbury.
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Katherine Fraser | Spring 2017
Katherine Fraser
Wild & Wool designed a Spring, gardening themed window installation for Katherine Fraser in April, 2017. Katherine is a talented designer-weaver based at 74 Walcot Street, Bath. She creates unique handwoven textiles for fashion and interior. Katherine’s window included three large one metre tall needle felted characters in Grampa badger, otter and bunny. Needle felted vegetables were topped with Katherine’s weave made into leaves and all the animal’s clothes were bespoke tailored to each creature, again using Katherine’s wonderful woven wool fabrics. The scene included many small characters including mice, birds and a mole.
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Wool Bath | Autumn/Christmas 2016
Wild & Wool designed an Autumn followed by Christmas window display in 2016 for an independent shop in Bath owned and managed by Laura Shipley. The collaboration with Laura at Wool who knitted all the items and Ellie Scotton of The Bolt Tree, Bath who made all the Harris tweed and Liberty fabric garments for the Wild & Wool animals featured was an amazing team effort… one that three female run small businesses are very proud of! Following on from this project we look forward to subsequent future work with these two very talented women.
Christmas Window
Autumn Window
Laura Shipley
"We couldn't believe our luck when Susie suggested the beautiful Wild and Wool creatures could grace our window at Wool in the Centre of beautiful Bath. I knew Susie through her love
of British wool (naturally) and it seemed like a match made in heaven for us at Wool to collaborate
with Wild & Wool.
When Ellie from The Bolt Tree also agreed to be part of this project I felt like we might end up with the best window in Bath… I think I was right.
The window display has literally brought people to a standstill. There is so much attention to detail that
I still find little touches I hadn't noticed at the beginning. The craftsmanship and quality is like nothing I've ever seen before and I feel so thrilled to have been part of this project."
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Laura Shipley, Owner & Manager of Wool
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"It was such a fantastic experience working on this project and the final result is so impressive! A happy collaboration of local women for a local business. What could be better!?
As each woodland animal is collectively made up of quality fabric, wool, and the quality craftsmanship of Wild & Wool, it really makes each and every animal produced for the window extra special. It was such an exciting journey! I'm really looking forward to working with Wild & Wool more in the future!"
Ellie Scotton, Owner of the Bolt Tree
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Oddbins | Christmas 2015
In early 2015 we took the plunge and launched Wild & Wool taking on our first very exciting large commission for Oddbins. The brief was to create forty seven, one metre high needle felted foxes to be featured in the company's Christmas shop window displays across Britain and as part of their Christmas campaign.
To our knowledge this is a first! ... and we are the only company needle felting standing creatures to this scale.
We worked closely with Ayo Akintola, Managing Director Oddbins and his marketing team to create something that we are very proud of…
Photographer Carole Melbourne
"Oddbins takes pride in doing things differently and this tends to create a bit of a problem with us when dealing with external companies whose raison d'être is producing identikit solutions.
In Wild and Wool we found a perfect partner not only with the required dedication and skills but one who really got under the skin of our brand, understood our unique outlook, listened to us, challenged us and produced the centre pieces for our Christmas 2015 campaign.
Susie and Katrina's handmade foxes are truly stunning creations and as a company we are very proud of what they created for us.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Wild and Wool to other retailers and businesses that want to set their brand apart from the opposition."
Ayo Akintola Managing Director Oddbins
As part of the Oddbins Christmas Campaign a number of celebrities have adopted a fox which was auctioned later in the year with proceeds going to the charity of their choice.
Actress Olivia Colman having a glass of wine with her adopted fox... proceeds from the auction of her fox went to her chosen charity TenderUK (picture courtesy of Oddbins)
Clockwise from top left: Olivia Coleman, Ian Botham, Greta Scacchi, Bob Wilson and Henry Blofeld
Oddbins Christmas window
Photo Sabrina Dallot Seguro
#WhatTheFox Oddbins Christmas video 2015