Great Yorkshire Show: Yorkshire clothing brand Glencroft launches five-mile fleece jumper at the Sheep to Chic fashion show in Harrogate

The limited edition Thwaite jumper is the culmination of Glencroft’s Clapdale Wool Project, launched in 2021 and funded by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority’s Sustainable Development Fund. This saw Glencroft work with local farms, paying them more for their wool, to create a sustainable and entirely traceable Yorkshire yarn called Clapdale Wool.

Glencroft has bought more than three tonnes of fleece from farms within a five-mile radius, which has been scoured, carded and spun in Yorkshire.

The Thwaite jumper is knitted using a distinctive zig-zag pattern designed in collaboration with KnitLab North. Edward Sexton, partner and owner at Glencroft, said: “We have spent the last year designing the jumper specifically around the yarn it's made from and the local area it was born out of. The deep grooved pattern reflects the undulating hills and valleys around us, adding shadow and depth to the natural undyed yarn.

“We have used almost 1kg of wool in each jumper to make it thick, heavy and very warm. This is a jumper that you could wear on the hills and mountains that it came from.”

Each of the 50 limited edition jumpers comes in a branded gift box with a numbered and signed booklet telling the unique story of the jumper and its journey from farm to yarn, a map of the farms on, plus information about the sheep breeds used, and why it has been named Thwaite.

“Thwaite is a Norse word meaning paddock. Thwaite Lane is a track that runs out of Clapham where we are based, off which some of the sheep whose wool was used in this project graze, so the name was very fitting,” said Edward.

The box also contains a photo print of William Dawson of Bleak Bank Farm, one of the farms that took part in the project, taken by local photographer Juliet Klottrup and showing William with the very sheep whose fleece was used, with Clapdale in the background.

The project has also seen Glencroft launch both a hand-knit DK yarn which is sold in 100g hanks, as well as the two-ply yarn used to make the jumper, with a 10 per cent share of the profits going directly back to the farms whose fleece was used.

The Thwaite contains the fleece from all the sheep breeds from Glencroft’s local farms, including Dalesbred, Teeswater, Blue Face Leicester (BFL), North of England Mule and Texel. Glencroft brought together an expert team to advise on the blend and proportions of breeds to be used in the wool.

The Wool Library, founded by Maria Benjamin who runs a regenerative farm diversification business at Dodgson Wood Farm in the Lake District, and Dr Zoe Fletcher, co-founder of The Woolist, who completed in a PhD in the characteristics of British wool, provided expert advice throughout the process – from the best blend of the breeds and types of fleeces to use to create a high-end yarn, to the creation of a commercially viable and highly sustainable Yorkshire wool collection.

Dr Fletcher said: “By coming together with Glencroft and KnitLab North as educators, designers, farming advocates and manufacturers, we have created farm-specific, traceable yarns using British breed fleeces at a commercial level, allowing us to elevate this wool above and beyond the greenwashing so prevalent in the fashion industry at the moment.”

Edward Sexton added: “Incorporating everyone into the value chain, from farmers through to production of the end garment, we ensure that farmers are treated fairly, building relationships based on trust, so there is no need to greenwash this product because that narrative comes through.

“The resulting wool is coarser than our other jumpers, providing that extra warmth. We’ve also included in the gift box a cedar ball to avoid moth damage in the future, some of the raw wool used to make the jumpers, a hank of the hand-knit Clapdale yarn and some darning needles from a local knitting shop, to ensure the jumper lasts for decades.”

Building on the success of their initial pilot, Glencroft is already working on Clapdale Wool 2.0, scaling up the project with the support of British Wool.

Edward said: “We have already collected this year’s wool which is at the spinners at the moment, and we intend to make half into dyed hand-knit wool to complement the undyed wool, as well as taking another 1.5 tonnes to make into a Yorkshire tweed cloth.”

The jumper is being shown on the catwalk this week at the Great Yorkshire Show which sees a team of amateur models, most from farming backgrounds, step out for the daily shows which focus on luxury and designer clothes made using British wool.

There were collections from Skipton-based knitwear designer Joan Murray; York designer Mary Benson using Abraham Moon tweed; Keighley-based international menswear brand Brook Taverner, which also sponsors the show; Thirsk-based Galijah, and from British Wool, which promotes UK wool-made products from brands including Dales-based Glencroft, Wensleydale Longwool, Mars Knitwear, Peregrine and Harris Tweed.

Nick Hancock is hosting the show, and there is hair and make-up by the White Rose Hair & Beauty College in Harrogate.

The Sheep to Chic fashion shows take place daily at 12.30pm on the Sheep Shearing Stage, which is next to Brown Gate at the Great Yorkshire Showground.