A Chat with Glencroft – Wool Blanket On-line
We met Richard & Edward from Glencroft a number of years in the past at a commerce truthful in Harrogate. We immediately needed to collaborate with Glencroft as they stand for most of the similar values as our personal enterprise; they’re family-run, they’re captivated with wool, they usually champion British-made.
At Wool Blanket On-line we perceive the significance of traceability. We all know a lot of our prospects are concerned with the place their purchases come from, with this in thoughts, we have requested Edward a number of questions on Glencroft. Here’s what we came upon:
My father’s first correct job out of faculty was promoting animal feed in London, via enterprise contacts he then moved on to a uncooked wool firm in Somerset which provided mills throughout Yorkshire. He can keep in mind his gross sales journeys to Yorkshire within the late Nineteen Sixties would take a full 5 days as a result of quantity of working woollen mills he’d go to. The mills would purchase literal tons of uncooked wool for all of the merchandise they had been making. He then moved into gross sales at a knitwear enterprise in the course of the late 70s and 80s. It was at the moment that many companies began to offshore their manufacturing to the Far East and lots of mills and factories had been going out of a enterprise in consequence. He determined to help these companies by creating his personal firm and model manufacturing completely within the UK.
When did Glencroft begin?
Our household enterprise was established by my dad and mom Richard and Justina Sexton in January 1987. They registered the ‘Glencroft’ model to replicate the agricultural nation ethos and placement. Additionally the ‘glen’ was a nod to the truth that on the time a lot of our merchandise had been made in Scotland (sadly all factories that are actually closed), we provided many impartial retailers throughout the Highlands (as we nonetheless do to at the present time) and we proceed to make use of many conventional Scottish patterns and supplies.
The place are you situated?
We began again in 1987 in an industrial unit in Settle earlier than transferring into our current location – a 200 yr outdated disused cow barn that we transformed right into a warehouse within the village of Clapham (the place our household additionally resides) within the Yorkshire Dales.
This considerate video exhibits the fantastic views of the Clapham countryside.
The enterprise began primarily based on my father’s relationships with small British producers of wool and sheepskin merchandise, which continues via to at the present time. These relationships are key to the whole lot we do and conjures up the vary we produce and designs we create.
Nonetheless we’re positively additionally impressed by the gorgeous Dales countryside, farming and animals within the fields round us. It’s additionally why we primarily give attention to pure and native supplies from sheep akin to 100% British Wool and 100% Harris Tweed.
The place are your merchandise made?
We attempt to make absolute the whole lot as regionally as we will with about 80-90% of our whole vary manufactured within the UK. And inside that we additionally prefer to say we observe ‘accountable sourcing’. What this implies is that we attempt to at all times be sure that the supplies we use and the manufacturing processes we comply with are all executed by individuals and suppliers paid a good wage and supplies and processes that take into account the broader influence on the setting. We additionally nonetheless make plenty of objects in home together with hand ending over 100 sheepskin rugs per week and manufacturing our vary of sheepskin hats utilizing an industrial sheepskin stitching machine (it’s a sturdy little bit of package that’s over 50 years outdated!).
What supplies do you employ?
Every part from sheep is our motto. And mix that with native sourcing it’s the rationale why we use as a lot 100% British Wool as we will in our vary. A wholly pure product sourced from the hills round us. And wool is the unique tremendous materials – it’s breathable, anti bacterial, anti flammable, biodegradable and lasts for years if cared for proper and renewable.
We additionally use real 100% Harris Tweed fabric hand woven on the Outer Hebrides, Yorkshire woven British Wool tweeds, British and European sheepskin.
Whereas sustainability and the setting have at all times been necessary to us, like many individuals now we have grow to be much more conscious lately of our duties as each a enterprise and trend model to make sure we’re doing the whole lot we will. That’s why we’re continuously new methods to cut back the quantity of plastic packaging and man-made fibres in our vary and in addition our manufacturing processes.
What’s most necessary to you when designing a brand new product?
Whereas we do have a spread of conventional kinds which might be at all times in style and by no means exit of trend we prefer to be as authentic as we probably can when designing new objects. The design course of is commonly a mixture of making a singular design, reimagining outdated classics (akin to our Dales sheep jumper), working carefully with the manufacturing course of to make sure its viable and in addition getting concepts and inspiration from throughout us – particularly our prospects, each retailers and people. Fairly a number of of our merchandise are the results of recommendations from retailers about what they’d prefer to see in wool or sheepskin.
What’s your private favorite in your assortment and why?
Our sheepskin bobble hat – the hat is our basic Aran beanie manufactured within the North of England from 100% British Wool, we then make the bobble from British sheepskin offcuts, stuff it with spare wool and fix it to the highest. It encapsulates what we’re about, plus I’ve one of many authentic samples the place we made the bobble too massive and I fairly just like the ridiculousness of it (the bobble is in regards to the dimension of a grapefruit!).
What do you hope individuals will take pleasure in probably the most about your merchandise?
I hope they just like the type and it does the job they purchased it for akin to retaining them heat, however I additionally hope they’ll have slightly smile each time they put on or use it that they’ve supported a complete provide chain of British producers and producers. And likewise for many of our merchandise the truth that as soon as they’ve purchased it, they gained’t have to purchase one other one for 20 years!
What achievement of your online business are you most pleased with?
When prospects exit of their method to cellphone us up and say how blissful they had been. It completely makes our day when this occurs.
When you requested my dad and mom they’d additionally add the day when Prince Charles visited the village they usually gave him a few sheepskin rugs as a marriage current (he’d simply married Camilla). We think about they’re both facet of mattress to sink his toes into each morning!
Thanks for these insights!
