Three years ago, Maria Benjamin set out to create the first ever collection of tweed created from the fleece of sheep flocks farmed in the 13 valleys of the Lake District.
Today, the British designed and made Lake District Tweed collection is complete, each valley represented in cloth that tells a story – of its history, geography and culture and the farms where sheep walk the fells and fields.
Inspired by the beauty and the history of the landscape, Lake District Tweed honours the hard-working farmers and the hardy animals who are such a familiar part of Lakeland.
From the copper mines of the Coniston valley to the spring bluebells of Buttermere, the lush green of Langdale to the pink granite of Eskdale, the characteristics of each valley are woven into each of 13 distinctive cloths.
Twenty-three farms are now supplying their wool to Lake District Tweed. They are paid above market price for their fleece and are able see it made into a local heritage product. Each receives a throw of their valley as an heirloom to pass to future generations.
Each tweed is:
- Made from wool supplied by sheep farmed in the valley of its name
- Designed by the Lancs & and Lakes Guild of Weavers, Spinners & Dyers
- Scoured and washed in Bradford; combed, spun and dyed in Huddersfield; woven in Oldham
- Sold as throws and cloth for garments and soft furnishings with revenue reinvested in the local community.
Throughout the making process, the provenance of the original wool is protected to ensure the tweed for each valley is created from wool supplied by sheep in those valleys.
The roots of the project date back to 2017 when former film maker and creative producer Maria Benjamin was seeking a way to wear her own flock of Castlemilk Moorit and Blue Faced Leicester sheep based on the farm where she and partner John Atkinson live at Nibthwaite, in the Coniston valley.
Her idea for creating a Coniston valley tweed from the fleece expanded when she successfully applied for government Farming in Protected Landscapes funding and it was suggested that she could extend the project to all the Lake District valleys.
With three years of funding approved, after extensive research and securing 500kg of fleece from each valley, the first four tweeds – Coniston, Ennerdale, Ullswater and Windermere – were produced in year one.
Four more – Borrowdale, Grasmere, Haweswater and Langdale – were added in the second year. And this year the final five tweeds – Buttermere, Duddon, Eskdale, Thirlmere and Wasdale – have been created and will be unveiled at an official launch at Nibthwaite Grange Farm on December 1.
With the first two years’ production almost sold out, this year has also seen the first eight tweeds go into a second round of production.
Maria said: “I am very proud of what we have created and delighted that we have a full collection of 13 tweeds representing the valleys of the Lake District. It is pretty amazing how far we have come.
“However, the completion of the collection is just the start. Now I want Lake District Tweed to grow as we build a recognised heritage brand. I would love to have more farms involved and for Lake District Tweed to be a sustainable source of income for our local sheep farmers and others.
“We are keen to supply our cloth to other makers so they can create their own products inspired by Lake District Tweed to further their own businesses. I would also like to challenge designers and the fashion industry to explore using not just our cloth but more British-made fabric.
“Wool is only 1% of the textile market and British wool is just 0.1% of that. The rise of synthetics and imported wool products means you are hard pressed to find any garment in this country that is made from British wool, despite the millions of sheep in fields all around us, so an important part of what we’re doing is raising awareness of that.
“This is a legacy project and I do feel that I have achieved something personally that is benefiting others, that is worthwhile and is a small step towards offering consumers choice by providing a truly homegrown, sustainable British product of provenance.”
