In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I'm joined by Laura Watts, managing director of Marton Mills, 3rd generation family weaving business based in Otley, Yorkshire.

Marton Mills was founded in 1931 and has built its reputation on uniform fabric - supplying school wear, military contracts for the Navy and the RAF, and fabric for the King's Coronation.

Now, alongside its core uniform work, Marton Mills is launching its first fully traceable British wool collection in autumn 2026, with yarn sourced just down the road from Laxton's and fabric finished at Roberts Dyers in Keighley.

In this episode we cover:

• How Laura went from advising heart surgeons at Johnson & Johnson to running a nearly 100-year-old weaving mill.
• Why uniform fabric is the backbone of the business and how the mill weaves 18 to 20,000 metres of fabric a week.
• Why so much British-woven fabric still goes offshore for garment production.
• What a genuine British procurement policy for military uniforms could look like.
• The challenge of recruiting the next generation into textiles.

About Marton Mills

Marton Mills Co Ltd is a family-owned textile mill established in 1931, nestled in the Wharfedale valley in West Yorkshire. The mill produces premium fabrics across a range of end uses, from school and military uniforms to film and television, with a reputation built on consistent quality and traditional Yorkshire values.

Website: martonmills.com

Instagram: @martonmills

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