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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In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I visited Laxtons Yarns in Baildon, Yorkshire, a fourth generation family spinning mill that is now employee-owned.

I was given a full tour of the mill floor by commercial director Carly Smith and national accounts manager Rochelle Tracey, before sitting down with them to talk about British wool, the future of the business and the exciting relaunch of their hand knitting range.

Laxtons spin worsted and fancy yarns for hand knitting, machine knitting and weaving. Their Sheepsoft yarn is a blend of Blue Faced Leicester and Masham British wool and travels less than 50 miles from fleece to finished yarn.

Almost the entire workforce is women.

In this episode we cover:

• Behind the scenes of how the fibre is spun into yarn.
• How Laxtons became employee owned in 2024 and what that means for the future of the business in Yorkshire.
• Why 52% of everything Laxtons spins is now British wool, and how that has grown.
• The relaunch of their hand knitting range as Bramble & Fleece.
• The shift happening across Yorkshire mills, with more women now leading businesses in what has traditionally been a male dominated industry.

About Laxtons

Laxtons Yarns is a fourth generation family spinning mill based in Baildon, Yorkshire. They spin worsted and fancy yarns for hand knitting, machine knitting and weaving, with over 52% of their yarn made from British wool. In July 2024 the business became employee owned, securing its future in Yorkshire. Their hand knitting range is relaunching as Bramble & Fleece in 2026.

Website: laxtons.com | bylaxtons.com

Instagram: @laxtonsyarns

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In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I take a trip to the beautiful Essex countryside to visit knitwear designer Genevieve Sweeney in her micro factory, where she designs, programmes, knits, and finishes her collection in house.

We talk about the realities of owning your own industrial knitting machine - from learning to keep the yarn and machine happy, to breaking needles in tears and coming out the other side.

We also hear about Genevieve's mission to revive the almost forgotten art of hand Intarsia, a knitting technique synonymous with Scottish knitwear.

About Genevieve Sweeney

Genevieve Sweeney is a knitwear designer and maker based in Essex. Known for her distinctive use of colour, texture and geometric patterning, Genevieve works with natural fibres including Lambswool and naturally-dyed Merino.

You can find Genevieve and Genevieve Sweeney at:

Website: genevievesweeney.com

Instagram: @genevievesweeney

Genevieve forst appeared on the Make it British Podcast in Episode 39 in March 2019.

You can listen to that episode here

🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

In this episode I'm sharing the recording of a recent webinar I ran - 5 Steps to Finding a UK Manufacturer.

• Learn my signature 5 Step Factory Readiness Method™ which has helped hundreds of small business owners to get their products made in the UK.
• Find out why manufacturers don't get back to you (and how to make sure you get a reply).
• Why sampling costs can spiral out of control and how to avoid it.
• What a tech pack is, why you need one and how to create a tech pack quickly and easily without using a designer.

If you are trying to get a product made in the UK and want a clear, practical framework to follow without making costly mistakes, this episode will give you exactly that.

In this episode you will also hear me mention a cost price calculator that I have developed.

Try the Cost Price Calculator

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In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I'm joined by Harriet Fletcher-Gilhuys from Fashion Roundtable.

Harriet is the project lead for The Great British Wool Revival and is also working with the King's Foundation on an event in May 2026 to promote the use of British wool.

If you're a designer, maker or brand wanting to work with British wool but not sure where to start, the Great British Wool Revival is the resource you need to know about. It maps the entire wool supply chain from sheep to spinning, dyeing, knitting and weaving and Harriet is here to walk us through exactly how to use it.

In this episode we cover:

• What The Great British Wool Revival is and how to use it to find farms, spinners, dyers and manufacturers near you
• How to plan a traceable British wool supply chain from scratch, and why you should allow a full year from first conversation to finished product
• How to get around minimum order quantities by pairing up with other small designers
• Why the website is already being used in 80 countries and what that tells us about the global shift towards homegrown fibres
• The two-day wool summit at Dumfries House in Scotland bringing together farmers, designers, makers and policymakers, and how to get involved

If you care about British farming, UK manufacturing and using fibres that actually grow on our hillsides, this episode will give you a practical look at how it can be done.

About the Great British Wool Revival

The Great British Wool Revival is a free online platform built to make British wool more accessible, from farmer through to finished product. Launched in September 2024 in collaboration with the King's Foundation and funded by Yoox Net-a-Porter, it maps the entire wool supply chain and includes a terminology guide, a directory of mills, spinners and dye houses, and step-by-step guidance for designers wanting to work with British wool.

The Great British Wool Revival Website

Fashion Roundtable website

Instagram: @greatbritishwoolrevival

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In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I'm joined by Isabelle Randall, a fashion designer and tailor based in Scarborough, Yorkshire, who has been running her own label for over 21 years.

Isabelle works in British tweeds and wool fabrics, making everything bespoke in her atelier. We talk about the Yorkshire mills she loves working with, her tailoring process, and why her bespoke approach keeps customers coming back again and again.

We also get into what it feels like, as a designer who makes everything herself, to hand over the responsibility of production to a manufacturer for the first time.

In this episode we cover:

1. Which Yorkshire mills Isabelle works with and why she chooses British tweeds and wool fabrics
2. How her bespoke tailoring process works from initial consultation to finished garment
3. Why her made-to-order approach builds long-term customer loyalty
4. What it's really like to hand over production to a manufacturer when you've always made everything yourself
5. Why holding out for customers who understand and value the work is better than chasing every sale

If you care about British farming, UK manufacturing and using fibres that actually grow on our hillsides, this episode will give you a practical look at how it can be done.

About Isabelle Randall

Isabelle Randall is a fashion designer and tailor based in Scarborough, Yorkshire, with over 21 years of experience running her own label. She works exclusively in British tweeds and wool fabrics, creating bespoke garments from her atelier.

You can find Isabelle and her label at:

Website: isabellerandall.com

Instagram: @isabellerandall

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In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I’m joined by Louisa Knapp, Marketing Executive at British Wool.

Based in Bradford, British Wool operates as a farmers' cooperative that collects, grades, and auctions fleece for around 35,000 sheep farmers across the UK.

Whether you’re a designer wondering how to source British wool or you’re just curious about what happens to a fleece after it’s sheared, you’re going to love this episode.

In this episode we cover:

1. How the British Wool cooperative operates and makes it easy for brands to use traceable wool.
2. The British wool supply chain and how new digital systems making it easier to track wool back to the farm.
3. Why wool is a wonderful fibre and how British Wool are pushing up the price the farmer's receive for their fleece.
4. Launching new regional labels to guarantee Scottish and Welsh wool traceability.

About British Wool

British Wool is a member-led organisation that handles the collection, grading, and marketing of UK fleece to support 35,000 farmers. They work with brands and manufacturers to provide traceable supply chains and increase the global demand for British wool.

You can find out more about British Wool at

Website: www.britishwool.org.uk

Instagram: @britishwool

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In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I’m joined by Kate Stalker, founder of OUBAS Knitwear.

Kate runs a knitwear micro factory in the Lake District, where she designs and manufactures fully fashioned knitwear using natural fibres, including British wool. After studying knitwear at Winchester School of Art, she returned to Cumbria and started the business with a single hand flat knitting machine in her parents’ utility room.

Today OUBAS produces knitwear on industrial knitting machines, with everything knitted, linked and finished in house by a small team. The business combines design, manufacturing and small batch production all under one roof.

If you’re interested in British wool, knitwear manufacturing or what it takes to run a small clothing factory in the UK, this episode gives a real behind the scenes look at how it works.

1. How Kate started OUBAS with one knitting machine and began selling at local markets and craft fairs
2. Why she chose to base the business in the Lake District rather than moving to London
3. What it takes to run a knitwear micro factory with industrial knitting machines
4. What “linking” is and why fully fashioned knitwear is so labour intensive
5. How knitwear is finished after it comes off the knitting machine
6. The reality of pricing knitwear when every garment takes hours to produce
7. How made to order production helps reduce waste and allows a wider size range
8. Why small batch knitwear manufacturing is becoming increasingly important for emerging brands

If you care about British farming, UK manufacturing and using fibres that actually grow on our hillsides, this episode will give you a practical look at how it can be done.

OUBAS Knitwear is a British knitwear brand and micro factory based in the Lake District. The business produces fully fashioned knitwear using natural fibres including British wool, with garments knitted and finished in house.

Alongside its own collection, OUBAS also works with other brands and designers, offering knitwear sampling, development and small batch production.

You can find Kate and Oubas Knitwear at:

Website: www.oubasknitwear.co.uk

Instagram: @oubasknitwear

🚀 Ready to scale your UK-made brand? Apply for the British Brand Accelerator at makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

Follow Kate @makeitbritish on Instagram