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The Versatility of Hemp With Contemporary Hempery
On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to Claire O’Sullivan and Kitty Wilson Brown of Contemporary Hempery to talk about how they’re trying to revive the UK’s hemp industry.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Our quest has 2 goals: 1, we want to revive hemp for textiles in the UK, and 2, we want to elevate this fantastically versatile and beautiful fibre back to where it should be; in all of our wardrobes and our homes.
- I (Kitty) did textiles at university, specialising in woven textiles. Throughout all my work sustainability was a big point and I was always using upcycled materials or natural fibres. Claire’s a jeweller, so we both have artistic brains, and over a glass of wine a couple of years ago she told me about hemp and how it used to be a big crop in Suffolk. I'd always wanted to weave with hemp, so we decided to grow some. It was the right time, the right place. From having the idea to putting seeds in the ground took five months. There was no planning or forethought involved, it just seemed to happen.
- Hemp requires no pesticides, no insecticides, it has no bug enemies, and it needs very little water. Before we knew it we had this magical hemp forest that was beautiful and so full of life. Then we needed to figure out how to turn it into fibre. Again, we had no knowledge of this, but lots of people came forward who wanted to help us and show us how hemp was traditionally turned into fibre, which is the way we do it. It’s been a great community project, bringing people in to help work on it with us.
- To grow industrial hemp in this country it has to be 0.3% THC, so you could smoke 9 acres and you wouldn’t feel anything, it can’t make you high. It’s an incredibly versatile plant, you can make clothes from it, you can build your entire house from it, the architectural products market is really exploding in this country because it has incredible insulation properties, hempcrete is just hemp and lime and it’s really, really strong, you can make hemp wood from it. Of course, you can make paper from hemp (The Declaration of Human Rights is printed on hemp paper, as was the King James Bible), and you can make yourself well from it because it makes CBD, though we can’t do that because our licence and the variety we’re growing is specifically for fibre and we cut it before it flowers.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Humans and help have been collaborating with each other to make fabric for at least 10,000 years.’
‘Pretty much every culture has grown hemp because it is an extraordinary plant that grows all the way from Siberia to the equator, so there’s almost no part of the world you can’t grow it in.’
‘Before this project I (Claire) didn’t know anything about fibre, or fabric, or farming, so it’s been a really fun learning curve!’
‘The licensing regime from the Home Office to industrially grow hemp in the country is all a bit ridiculous.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Working together as Contemporary Hempery Claire O’Sullivan and Kitty Wilson Brown are on a quest to revive the UK hemp weaving industry, restore this incredible plant fibre to its rightful place in every considered wardrobe and bring back the mighty Cannabis Sativa to cultivation across the UK.
Website: https://www.contemporaryhempery.com https://www.contemporaryhempery.com/harvest-retreat
ABOUT THE HOST
Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing and home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.
In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools and colleges.
Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed, through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring and digital marketing company.
Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people and planet.
CONTACT DETAILS
Tze Ching’s website: https://wedisruptagency.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wedisruptagency
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wedisruptagency/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/wedisruptagency
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tzechingyeung/
View all episodes
By Tze Ching Yeung
5
44 ratings
On this episode of the Lead With Purpose podcast host, Tze Ching Yeung talks to Claire O’Sullivan and Kitty Wilson Brown of Contemporary Hempery to talk about how they’re trying to revive the UK’s hemp industry.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Our quest has 2 goals: 1, we want to revive hemp for textiles in the UK, and 2, we want to elevate this fantastically versatile and beautiful fibre back to where it should be; in all of our wardrobes and our homes.
- I (Kitty) did textiles at university, specialising in woven textiles. Throughout all my work sustainability was a big point and I was always using upcycled materials or natural fibres. Claire’s a jeweller, so we both have artistic brains, and over a glass of wine a couple of years ago she told me about hemp and how it used to be a big crop in Suffolk. I'd always wanted to weave with hemp, so we decided to grow some. It was the right time, the right place. From having the idea to putting seeds in the ground took five months. There was no planning or forethought involved, it just seemed to happen.
- Hemp requires no pesticides, no insecticides, it has no bug enemies, and it needs very little water. Before we knew it we had this magical hemp forest that was beautiful and so full of life. Then we needed to figure out how to turn it into fibre. Again, we had no knowledge of this, but lots of people came forward who wanted to help us and show us how hemp was traditionally turned into fibre, which is the way we do it. It’s been a great community project, bringing people in to help work on it with us.
- To grow industrial hemp in this country it has to be 0.3% THC, so you could smoke 9 acres and you wouldn’t feel anything, it can’t make you high. It’s an incredibly versatile plant, you can make clothes from it, you can build your entire house from it, the architectural products market is really exploding in this country because it has incredible insulation properties, hempcrete is just hemp and lime and it’s really, really strong, you can make hemp wood from it. Of course, you can make paper from hemp (The Declaration of Human Rights is printed on hemp paper, as was the King James Bible), and you can make yourself well from it because it makes CBD, though we can’t do that because our licence and the variety we’re growing is specifically for fibre and we cut it before it flowers.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Humans and help have been collaborating with each other to make fabric for at least 10,000 years.’
‘Pretty much every culture has grown hemp because it is an extraordinary plant that grows all the way from Siberia to the equator, so there’s almost no part of the world you can’t grow it in.’
‘Before this project I (Claire) didn’t know anything about fibre, or fabric, or farming, so it’s been a really fun learning curve!’
‘The licensing regime from the Home Office to industrially grow hemp in the country is all a bit ridiculous.’
ABOUT THE GUEST
Working together as Contemporary Hempery Claire O’Sullivan and Kitty Wilson Brown are on a quest to revive the UK hemp weaving industry, restore this incredible plant fibre to its rightful place in every considered wardrobe and bring back the mighty Cannabis Sativa to cultivation across the UK.
Website: https://www.contemporaryhempery.com https://www.contemporaryhempery.com/harvest-retreat
ABOUT THE HOST
Tze Ching started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2007 with the launch of a sustainable clothing and home furnishing ecommerce business. Next, she created a sustainable fashion brand.
In 2019, she launched a social enterprise to help raise awareness about the negative impact of fashion at schools and colleges.
Through the 15-year journey, she learned so much, but easily the most meaningful lesson learned was about the importance of marketing. She now focuses on channelling those insights to help others succeed, through We Disrupt Agency, a business coaching, mentoring and digital marketing company.
Tze Ching’s mission is to create a community of global change makers and to contribute to positive change in both people and planet.
CONTACT DETAILS
Tze Ching’s website: https://wedisruptagency.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wedisruptagency
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wedisruptagency/
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/wedisruptagency
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tzechingyeung/