A campaign to promote Yorkshire's global reputation as a manufacturer of luxury cloth and fibre launched at Victoria Quarter in Leeds on Monday with the opening of a week-long exhibition.
A pen of live sheep in Briggate helped to pull in the crowds and reinforce the connection between the textile industry and the farmers and small businesses it supports.
The Wool Yorkshire initiative, which was launched to coincide with Campaign for Wool's annual Wool Week, was organised by Bradford-based SIL Holdings Ltd, one of the largest speciality fiber manufacturers and merchants in the world.
Jennifer Nickson of SIL's contract furnishing and interiors manufacturer Abbotsford, and her colleague Sara Duxbury of sister company Luxury Fabrics, joined forces with students from Leeds College of Art to create an exhibition that would showcase the evolution of the textile and fashion industry from its traditional roots to its contemporary role in the world of high end designer tailoring and fashion.
More than 150 guests gathered in Victoria Quarter for a celebration in conjunction with Harvey Nichols to mark the opening of the exhibition and the launch of Wool Yorkshire. Among them was Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Yorkshire Stanley Hardy who delivered a personal message from Campaign for Wool patron HRH The Prince of Wales.
Speaking after the event Andrew Seal, managing director of SIL Holdings, said: "Our aim was to get the message out that Yorkshire has a thriving textile sector that operates on a global scale. Thanks to the hard work of our own staff and the talent of the students the public this exciting exhibition truly gets the message out there that our mills are at the heart of luxury fabric manufacturing."
