Yorkshire Dales countrywear brand launches video in praise of the sheep smell of wool

If your jumper or cardigan has a distinctively sheepish aroma, especially when it is damp, that is exactly as it should be, says Glencroft, a British countrywear brand based in Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales.

Glencroft makes many of its clothing and home accessories using British wool and so, to celebrate Wool Week 2020, which launches on Monday, it decided to create and launch a video promoting the unique but largely under-appreciated smell of pure wool.

“We want to capture and celebrate this smell as it is what makes our products what they are,” said Edward Sexton, owner of Glencroft. “If your wool jumper doesn’t smell, the fibre may have been over-processed, bleached or heat treated.

“Our high-quality woollen garments are made from local and natural British Wool so they have a natural wool smell – one which, it has to be said, isn’t for everyone, but we love it.”

Quality 100 per cent wool garments often smell of lanolin, a wax secreted by sheep. It has a very particular smell which, according to Woolmark, is “almost metallic-y, but sweet, grassy and perhaps a little sour”.

Edward Sexton’s parents, Richard and Justina Sexton, founded Glencroft Countrywear more than 30 years ago. Based in a 200-year-old converted barn in the conservation village of Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, it produces traditional country-style clothing made from natural fibres including British wool, sheepskin and Harris Tweed, supplying UK and international retailers, from small independent gift shops to large online and mail order companies. In 2018, it launched a new website where consumers could buy directly from the brand.

Glencroft specialises in knitwear, hats, slippers, gloves, sheepskin rugs, throws and other accessories, all inspired by the rural life and the Yorkshire scenery that surrounds them and made using an ethically sourced supply chain which sees more than 80 per cent of its products made in the UK, the rest in Europe, including Portugal.

“This year, more than most, we are keen to promote British Wool and will be working with both Campaign for Wool and British Wool as part of Wool Week to do our bit to promote this fantastic natural product,” said Edward.

“COVID-19 has put paid to a lot of what we would ordinarily do to engage with people in person at our shop during Wool Week, so this year we’ve decided to really celebrate the smell of wool by doing something to promote it virtually instead.

Glencroft will publish the video on social media at @GlencroftUK during Wool Week which actually takes place over 13 days, running from October 5-18.

For Wool Week 2020, the Campaign For Wool, which has its headquarters in Bradford, has been working on a year-long student design competition, bringing together universities, including Leeds and Huddersfield, and leading fashion and interiors brands and retailers.

“The current restrictions have led to some changes for the launch of the project and Wool Week 2020 activities. This project, as well as many of the retailer events and wool messages, will be represented in a variety of digital/on-line spaces,” said the Campaign for Wool.

The Campaign For Wool is a global endeavour initiated by its patron, The Prince of Wales, to raise awareness of the natural, renewable and biodegradable benefits of wool. It spreads the word that wool not only biodegrades in soil, adding nutrients back to the earth, but also biodegrades in the ocean and water avoiding microfibre and plastic pollution. “We can all make a difference by choosing wool to help safeguard the planet for future generations, and every year sheep produce a new fleece, making wool a natural, renewable fibre resource,” said the organisation.

It added that it had been amazed by the continued support from the universities, students and retailers during difficult and remote working circumstances, which had resulted in an “exceptional array of work from talented students”.

The participating universities are: The University of Leeds; The University of Huddersfield; Dundee; Heriot Watt; Nottingham Trent; Derby; Kingston University London; Chelsea College of Art; Plymouth; Bath Spa; Winchester School of Art; Loughborough; Central Saint Martins; Falmouth; London College of Fashion; Glasgow School of Art, and Westminster

International Universities: New Zealand: Massey; South Africa: NMU, University of Johannesburg, LISOF, Elizabeth Galloway, Durban University of Technology; Canada: OCAD, The Toronto Fashion Incubator, Nipissing University, George Brown College.

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James Mitchinson