Ray Woods

From: Kent, UK

Background:

I've always had nature close to my heart, and used to love drawing animals when I was growing up in a little village in Kent, right next to an RSPB reserve. But I always wished the countryside was a little wilder!

I studied Digital Design at university and used to help my dad with designing for his t-shirt business, and I spent ten years working in e-commerce before launching Rewild at Heart with Paul.

What's Ray up to?:

I'm currently focused on our new embroidery range - I love creating new designs, doing my best to capture the character of the animals. And it's so rewarding stitching them using the machines my dad left me.

Visit Ray's Embroidery Collection

Ray Woods

Ray, co-founder of Rewild at Heart, grew up surrounded by wildlife in Kent and has carried a deep love of nature into his creative work. His inspiration comes from wild landscapes, nature in general, and the principles of rewilding, with the digital sketches he produces brought to life through embroidery machines.

Passionate about conservation, Ray embraces sustainable practices, from using organic and recycled materials to choosing eco-friendly embroidery threads. He’s especially inspired by reintroductions of keystone species like bison and by encounters with ancient giants such as the sequoias of California.

Ray's Work

I've always preferred creating art digitally, whether it was graphic design or animation - I was never one for painting! It's been a real challenge but the combination of designing the embroidery artwork on computer and then seeing them come to live as they're stitched out is amazing.

Rather predictably, I draw inspiration from nature - I love absorbing the beauty of wild places I visit, watching nature documentaries and reading about rewilding and ecology.

Ray on Conservation & Sustainability:

I'm fascinated by the reintroduction of keystone species to the wild, and the cascading effects they have on their environment. I'm hugely passionate about helping rewilding efforts here in Britain, as well as other projects around the world.

I've always had a love and concern for the environment, and really "found my passion" when I started learning about rewilding. I couldn't put the books down, and had to buy a new bookcase! I think rewilding really captured my heart because the idea of reintroducing species to restore environments through their natural behaviours just makes so much sense and is fascinating to learn about.

I use Lycocell thread in my embroidery and all our shirts are made from organic, sustainably sourced and/or recycled materials - we do everything we can to minimise our footprint in our rewilding mission.

Once nearly extinct, beavers are a conservation success story. © Ralf Schick
Once nearly extinct, beavers are a conservation success story. © Ralf Schick
A majestic symbol of Europe’s natural heritage. © Kathy Büscher

I'm a real bird nerd and consider myself a "junior ornithologist," but in a rewilding context it has to be the bison. Their story of being hunted to extinction in the wild and then brought back through conservation efforts from a handful of individuals is amazing, as well as the profound effect they have on their surroundings just by being wild.

I'm so excited to see how the story unfolds the future, and thrilled to play a very small part in it by helping Wilder Blean through my bison designs.

Shop Bison
Ray's lovely wife Leigh between two fire-scarred sequoias © Ray Woods

The most amazing wild experience I've had was seeing the California Redwoods in Sequoia National Park. It's awe-inspiring how colossal these trees are: many over two or even three thousand years old!

Ray's Recommendation:

This a real tricky one but I'm going to have to pick my embroidered rhino design. My dad loved those big grey guys and donated a lot to Save the Rhinos.

Ray's Rhino Design

Why work with Rewild at Heart?

I bloody co-founded it, didn't I!

Rewild at Heart is a real passion project: doing our bit to help champion & support rewilding, sharing my love of nature through my artwork, and making products people love is a dream come true.

Shop Embroidered by Ray – Conscious Clothing & Accessories

Take a look through my designs and get some if you want! Inspired by nature, and giving back to it.

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