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Glencroft has manufactured in the UK and used 100% British Wool in their range of jumpers since they began in 1987. Their yarn is certified by British Wool as being from sheep living on UK fields. It’s been the most traceable wool they could find at a reasonable price but they’ve always hankered to use the sheep on the fields around them and contribute directly to their local community. Working with Edward Sexton, we helped facilitate this doorstep journey, from deciding what locally bred sheep breeds could be blended to create a yarn with specific knitwear qualities, to initiating processing relationships. Ed's vision and passion for this project was evident 'From the start we wanted this to be sustainable and create a circular economy here in the Yorkshire Dales, so we paid farmers a decent price for their clip – enough to cover the price of shearing regardless of the breed – and will give 10% of the profits we make back to them. We want to grow the wool economy to benefit everyone involved, starting with those on our doorstep'. And the yarn has recently landed back at their headquarters in Clapham, ready to start the next stage in it's journey from fleece to fashion.

Founder of OUBAS knitwear Kate notes 'OUBAS styles are very linked to the tones and shades found here in the landscape. The connection to natural beauty seen in the landscapes and using these shades in our knitwear means that they are always harmonious and the palette has a timeless quality to it. On a human level, using natural fibres breathe with wear, and are therefore much more comfortable. There is a natural drape and loftiness to using pure wools, and its natural characteristics are both antibacterial and insulating. It is a diverse fibre and using different breeds of sheep means we can achieve different textures and structures within a knit. Environmentally, we are using a natural resource which can be replenished and doesn’t use harsh chemicals or finite resources such as oil to be produced. Beginning this Autumn 2021 (in partnership with The Wool Library) we are working closely with local farmers here in Cumbria to develop our own yarns for our knitwear in the Southern Lake District. This will be a blend of different fleeces working with the properties of each fibre to create something unique.'

We have been working closely with KnitLab North, a brand innovation hub, based in Northumberland, to test out some of our experimental British breed yarns on their commercial level machines - so we can truly push the boundaries and showcase the capabilities of British wool using state of the art machinery. KnitLab North also offer micro-production, which has enabled us to create limited edition collections in specific small numbers - alleviating the need for keeping deadstock and wasting precious resources.