TRACEABLE TEXTILES

This autumn we are comforting you with the true value of woollen textiles. Quality and sustainability are key to our collection. These have always been of paramount importance to us and now finally others are understanding that taking short cuts is not viable.

Our collaboration with a Swaledale flock in Lancaster has given focus to the exciting new designs we are offering this season. John Taylor provided us with classic film photos from his farm: lush green grass against the backdrop of a radiant orange sunset, graphic images of black faced sheep huddled in a snowy glade and magenta tinted brackens on an autumnal moorland. We refined these colours to an elegant yet bold palette and had the wool specifically dyed to our exact requirements.

John Taylor is one of those lucky people who always knew what he wanted to do. While others were drawn to the big cities John knew that working the land was for him. An orphan from a young age, John was brought up by a spinster in the local village of Brookhouse, his family farm was out of reach due to a series of succession tenants. This was no deterrent for John, he did not shy away from the hard graft required of a farmer and was eager to acquire all the skills needed to thrive when farming the moors. John grew up shaped by the toil and devotion required for dry stone walling and contract sheep shearing with hands the size of boulders and a stature to match. Luck comes in all guises, and for John it was the devastating foot and mouth outbreak of 2002. The tenant farmers decided to throw in the towel and move to New Zealand enabling John to get back land that had once belonged to his grandfather.

The moorlands of Lancaster come with indigenous flocks of sheep, they stay their ground regardless of ownership. These Swaledales are the definition of hardiness spending their entire lives up on the high land come rain or shine. They give birth outside, usually to just one lamb which is nurtured diligently and survives due to its hardy strong wool. By contrast Bluefaced Leicester are as soft as soft according to John, they need mollycoddling like babies and if the wind is above a breeze it parts their very fine wool and chills them to the bone. However, when they are cross bred with Swaledales a wonderful mix is produced possessing the best of both breeds.

John creates these intermediate mules which are more fertile than Swaledales but with softer wool. It is these sheep that have been shorn for our special collaboration this season.

The Swale design woven with John Taylor’s wool is a sophisticated large block check using colours taken from his farm, but also reminiscent of the vibrant 1970’s yet entirely modern. This cloth is 1.5m wide and weighs approx 470g-500g/ 16oz-17oz.

This collection was woven up in the Scottish Borders with our wonderful commission weaver Robbie Trussler from Drove Weaving.

Due to the amount of sheep and wool collected from Johns herd, we could not produce more than one design from the yarn we had, so we wanted to develop a range of designs to compliment the Swale.

Moor is our boldest check incorporating all of our new hues to create a balanced design that will bring joy to everyone. This is woven with a soft Merino lambswool and is 1.5m wide and weighs approx 365g – 395g/ 13oz – 14oz.

Our Rush design in Merino Lambswool is a harmony of blues. This graphic design is daringly balanced with turquoise warp strips creating offset movement.

This cloth is 1.5m wide, and weighs approx 385g-415g/ 13oz-14oz.

For the evening we present two designs in fine Merino wool, famous for its soft lustre and drape. Verdant is an almost regimental stripe of greens, blues and dashing gold highlights.

This cloth is 1.5m wide, and weighs approx 325g-355g/ 11oz-12oz.

Libertine, as the name suggests is woven for indulging in sensual pleasures. The exquisite small scale pattern features rich purple squares vibrating against shapes of turquoise and black.

This cloth is 1.5m wide, and weighs approx 320g-350g/ 11oz-12oz.