British wool suits?

[Pond digger]

There’s an interesting article in the Yorkshire Post regarding the M&S wool suits worn by the 2016 England football team: “The wool came from Australia, and the scouring happened in China. It was dyed in Italy, spun in Romania and only then would the wool make it to Leeds, where it was woven. That was sufficient for M&S to say that the cloth was “100 percent British”.”

Apparently our wool is generally too coarse for suits, but German born Brita Hirsch is sourcing wool from the Scottish Borders, where in the 1990’s a government research project (since abandoned), introduced a Merino breed- a cross between the 200 year old Saxon Merino and the British Shetland.

As an aside; apparently the Merino originated in Spain, and exporting the breed was forbidden and punishable by death until the 1700,s.

Hmm, I have an M&S wool suit: I wonder just how British mine is.

 

[Danllan]

Harris tweed .

 

[multi power]

Having recently bought a new suit I think I shall do some research

 

[choochter]

Harris tweed .

I've recently bought a length of harris tweed to make into a man's waistcoat - it is a lovely piece of material and feels and looks as though it will be a pleasure to sew with. Not coarse or hairy like the harris tweed of yesteryear.

 

[multi power]

https://www.magee1866.com/en/About-Us/cc-1.aspx
I can't see any mention of where the wool comes from, but I know where the suits themselves are made

 

[Frank-the-Wool]

I've recently bought a length of harris tweed to make into a man's waistcoat - it is a lovely piece of material and feels and looks as though it will be a pleasure to sew with. Not coarse or hairy like the harris tweed of yesteryear.

While Harris Tweed is still predominantly British wool because of changes in fashion and the way people live there has been a change in the blend to add much finer wool than was traditionally used.

Sadly we have very little wool in the UK that can be used for making fine suiting as you really need wool that is below 25 micron.
So most suits are produced form imported Merino wool.

Fortunately there are more success stories in manufacturing as well as Magee there is Abraham Moon of Guiseley, Leeds that have some great quality British made clothes who use British wool when they can.