It wasn’t so long ago that wool was everywhere — in jumpers, coats, blankets, carpets. In West Yorkshire, it was the backbone of industry. Bradford’s title “Worstedopolis” wasn’t a fluke. At its peak, this region produced two-thirds of England’s wool, riding on a booming textile trade. But now? The world leans toward synthetics, and wool’s value has tumbled.
The Warehouse That Smells of Sheep
If you wander off Canal Road in Bradford, past the bustle of traffic, you’ll find the British Wool depot. Step inside and the scent of sheep greets you. Everywhere you look there are huge green sacks, each labelled with a farmer’s name. These fleeces wait their turn to be graded — that all-important step that determines where they’ll go next.
The scale is humbling. Over the years, British Wool has handled more than 2.5 billion kilos through its depots. That’s a lot of fleece. And it’s a reminder that this corner of Yorkshire still carries the legacy — if it can hold on.
The Numbers Are Grim
Here’s the truth: for most sheep farmers, making money from wool is nearly impossible now.
Farmer Annis Bowker from Earby says it plainly:
“That is costing more than what we get for our fleeces.”
To shear a sheep now costs more than the fleece is worth.
British Wool’s Andrew Hogley doesn’t sugarcoat things:
“Very few farmers in the UK cover the cost of shearing with current wool prices. That’s the bare minimum they need to achieve.”
But he’s not giving up hope. He points out that global wool supplies are shrinking (New Zealand’s output, for example, has dropped), which could help shift the balance.
He also urges the government to step in:
“If we could specify British wool carpets for our public sector … that would make a significant difference to the supply and demand dynamics.”
Imagine — public buildings, social housing, schools all using British-wool carpets. The steady demand could help stabilise the market.
Why Antich Sources Wool From New Zealand
You’ll often hear about “British wool” in local manufacturing stories. But in the tailoring world, it’s not always straightforward: Antich Fine English Tailors, for instance, source much of their wool from New Zealand. Why?
It comes down to fleece quality. Native British sheep — especially many hill and upland breeds — often yield short, tight, coarse fleeces that are better suited for carpets, insulation, or heavier goods than fine clothing fabric. Their fibre length and structure don’t always match the demands of luxury suiting or fine cloth. In contrast, breeds in places like New Zealand tend to produce longer, more uniform fleeces, which suit garment manufacture.
This doesn’t mean British wool is useless — quite the opposite. It’s strong in its own right and ideal for certain applications (think tweeds, carpets, rugged outerwear). But for tailor-grade cloth, the quality threshold is high, and many UK fleeces fall short of it.
If we want more part of that clothing production to stay in Yorkshire, we’ll need breeding programmes, fibre research, and investment in upland sheep genetics — so our own wool can rise to the standard.
Wool in Fashion’s Future
Enter designers and makers with a mission. Patrick Grant, of Community Clothing fame, wears his values on his sleeve — literally. Spun in Yorkshire, knitted in the East Midlands, his British-wool jumpers carry real intention.
He argues that synthetics come with hidden costs — pollution, microplastics, oil reliance. Meanwhile:
“At the end of its life … a natural wool garment will completely biodegrade. So there are so many benefits.”
Consumers are waking up. The cheap, mass-produced jumper made mostly of synthetic fibres doesn’t shine so bright when you realise where those fibres come from and where they’ll go.
Buying locally made, locally sourced wool means putting money back into this region. As Grant says:
“If you choose to spend your money on products made locally out of locally produced materials, you are putting money straight back into your local economy.”
Where Yorkshire Still Holds Strong
Yorkshire hasn’t lost all of its wool infrastructure. Take WT Johnsons, which still finishes and dyes cloth locally. And Antich, though sourcing fleece overseas, carries on tailoring in the region. These firms are the threads holding tradition to the future.
But to keep this alive, we’ll need a coordinated push — from farmers, industry, consumers, and government. Breeding support, guaranteed demand (especially in public procurement), and promotion of British wool’s unique story — these are the levers we must pull.
Because wool can survive in West Yorkshire. It deserves to. And it’s up to us to make sure it does.
