Yorkshire's Baa-rmy for Wool!

As we currently sit in the studio and watch the snowflakes get bigger and bigger, thoughts turn to our ‘winter woollies’, those lovely thick and snugly jumpers you save for the coldest of times. According to the weather forecast, the worst is still yet to come, so the UK will be wrapping up en masse to brave the cold. Luckily for Yorkshire we have a lot of sheep, and recently have been ramping up our wool production.




Yorkshire supplies the 'big players'


Now, you may think "wool is itchy and boring and outdated", but let me tell you, our humble county has been supplying wool to Vivienne Westwood, Burberry, Paul Smith and Topshop, as well as some fine British suit makers, and has even starred at Fashion Weeks all over the world! The latest appearance of Yorkshire’s wool came with the brand ToBeFrank at London Collections: Men, the male version of fashion week. ToBeFrank’s wool jumpers are hand spun and handmade in Malton, Yorkshire by Shepherdess Sue Wiles, who also sheers the sheep herself. Talk about knowing your supply chain!

A cold water surf company in Cornwall, Finisterre, have a similar set up, using a rare breed of sheep called the Bowmont that produce the British equivalent of Merino wool. They work with Lesley Prior, the owner of the last herd of this breed in Britain, and succeed in having a 100% British supply chain (the spinning takes place in Yorkshire!), providing a high quality surf accessory line.

According to Engineering & Technology Magazine, British wool production increased by 12% in 2011, and wool mills such as Laxton’s, Saltaire, have reopened and modernised in order to feed the demand for home grown wool products, including carpets, upholstery and even all the uniforms for the British Empire! They have also supplied Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs, emphasising the range of wools they can produce. These mills are all about listening to their clients, creating fibres they can work with for specific purposes.

The likes of the developing nations do not have the ability or the technology to compete with the skills we have here in Britain, making these mills an invaluable asset to many industries within and outside the UK. Abraham Moon, another wool mill in the Saltaire area, has been the likes of Dolce & Gabanna and Ralph Lauren for over 175 years. That’s a lot of wool and a lot of fashion!

Wool and the wider world

No matter how fickle the world gets, wool will always be there. It’s sustainable, renewable, eco-friendly and innovative, it’s now been used in sportswear, as well as suiting, and in its traditional knitted form. Companies such as Baa Ram Ewe, based in Leeds, strive to put the UK, in particular Yorkshire, back at the heart of the world of wool, and actively promote the use of British wool through evens such as Yorkshire Wool Week.
 
Here at UBD we’re quite proud that Yorkshire’s woolly heritage is been rejuvenated for the current world market. We’re proud that Yorkshire is listening to what the world wants and is able to provide the perfect products through skill and technology. Listening is a key skill across all business sectors, including ours, and we believe that it is though listening that long-lasting business relationships are formed.

The snow has stopped for now, phew! We hope you manage to stay nice and warm through this freezing weather, if you find yourself snowed in, perhaps give knitting a try, and tweet us what you make. If knitting is not your thing tweet us about the snow, or anything else for that matter!


Information from:
http://www.tbfrank.com/to-be-made/ http://www.finisterreuk.com/shop/mens/clothing/mens-bowmont project.html
http://now-here-this.timeout.com/2013/01/09/best-bits-of-london-collections-men/ 
http://www.laxtons.com/ 
http://www.moons.co.uk/amoon.asp?areaID=2 
 E&T Magazine October 2012, January 2013 
http://www.baaramewe.co.uk/our-story-z-1.html 

Images from: 
http://www.sxc.hu/