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We’ve been a supporter of the Campaign For Wool since it started, and have long wanted to add to our range of wool products.
Welcome To Herdycountry
Spencer Hannah, Co-Founder & Director of Herdy® said:
Being northerners ourselves we’ve always had a liking for a good flat cap (it goes perfectly with our whippet!) So we set about working with two northern companies—from Yorkshire in fact—one to make the flat cap, and the other to weave our own bespoke, Herdy fabric, using a combination of Herdwick and lambswool. It took time, love and patience to develop, and we’re really chuffed with it now.
This collaboration with some of the North of England’s finest wool manufacturers, who have been working in the wool industry for over 200 years, has been a labour of love, and working alongside their wealth of knowledge & experience and learning from their skills in the business has been fascinating.”
Diane Hannah, Co-Founder & Director of Herdy® continues:
“Our Herdy fabric is a herringbone weave of Herdwick and lambswool, in a classic grey. Herdwick is a challenging fibre and blending it with lambswool means we could develop a bespoke fabric that was both workable, but robust and soft enough. The flatcap is a fabulous design and looks great on both men and women; everyone at Herdy HQ loves it!
It has a water-resistant membrane (essential in the Lake District), a bespoke jacquard weave satin lining that feels lovely to wear, and we’ve finished it with our rather nice signature Herdy stud. The skilled team making the cap have been a pleasure to work with.”
Derek, the Chief Cutter tells us:
“A well-made hat comes from a well-made cloth. Herdy have created a fabric that’s really nice to work with. It’s easy to handle, nice to cut and stitch.”
The Herdycountry scarves
Our Herdycountry scarves were another great part of the project, and we wanted to mirror the vibrant Herdy colours. They’re both beautifully soft and have been manufactured and hand-finished entirely in the north of England, with our Yorkshire-based partner, who’ve been involved in fine handcrafted weaving and finishing for over 200 years. Extra attention has been paid to the handle and feel of the scarves so that they’re lovely against the skin.
Ian, the Finisher tells us:
“It’s in the finishing where this kind of job is won or lost. It’s much harder to control the sizing, the yarn ‘burst’ and the handle as everything starts to knit together during the finishing. We’re really pleased with the Herdycountry collection. It’s really made the most of our specialist skills at the Mill.”
Spencer concludes:
“Wool remains so important both in Cumbria and nationally, and it’s great to see it getting an increasingly high profile, being used more and more. We’re delighted to get going with our Herdycountry collection and look forward to seeing it develop in the future.”
Available exclusively from Herdy shops at Keswick, Grasmere, Bowness, and Kendal, as well as online.
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