Glencroft Countrywear marked Wool Week 2020 (5-18 October) with the launch of online video highlighting the natural, aromatic qualities of British wool.
According to Glencroft, a British countrywear brand based in Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales, jumpers and cardigans with a somewhat sheepy aroma are just as they should be.
Glencroft makes many of its clothing and home accessories using 100% British wool and so, to celebrate Wool Week 2020, the Yorkshire clothing brand launched a video to promote the unique smell of pure wool.
“COVID-19 put paid to a lot of what we would ordinarily do to engage with people in person at our rural shop during Wool Week, so this year we’ve decided to promote it virtually instead,” concluded Edward.
High-quality 100% wool garments 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, owner of Glencroft, said: “We wanted to capture and celebrate this smell as it is what makes our products what they are. If your wool jumper doesn’t smell, the fibre may have been over processed, bleached or heat treated.”
Based in a 200-year-old converted barn in the conservation village of Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Glencroft produces traditional country-style clothing made from natural fibres including British wool, sheepskin and Harris Tweed.
The brand 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.
“Our 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!” continued Edward.
Edward Sexton’s parents, Richard and Justina Sexton, founded the company more than 30 years ago and they now supply both UK and international retailers, including the US and Japan, ranging from small independent gift shops to large online and mail order companies.
The video can be found on Glencroft’s YouTube channel. Meanwhile, Glencroft is preparing to launch several new products including a Yorkshire wool and organic cotton flat cap and a 100% British Wool Christmas jumper, which uses an innovative printing process to print the unique pattern directly onto wool.
