In the Green Room with Colin Spencer Halsey of the Natural Fibre Compa

It's very reassuring when you go to a trade show and meet a company you've never me before and it turns out that they're supplying one of your clients.

It's even better when the company is a 'local' manufacturer, eco-conscious and supplies your high-end artisinal client with premium quality material.

Meet Colin Spencer Halsey of The Natural Fibre Company, seen here visiting No. 10.

It was great to meet you at Source Fashion at Excel recently. I was so impressed to hear about your factory in Cornwall.

"Yes the original factory was in Wales and relocated to Launceston, Cornwall in the south west of England in 2005, where we've been producing yarns in our mill ever since. I was fortunate to become involved in 2019 and laster as CEO and owner in 2022"

What types of yarn?

"Well we spin wool alpaca and mohair and other natural fibres. Our expertise is in fibre processing and we're really passionate about producing beautiful, high quality yarns."

Talking of alpaca I noticed on your stand an image of Araminta Campbell's beautiful luxury products- we are an affiliate of hers

"Yes we have worked on a number of projects for them. Most recently a beautiful blend of 85% British alpaca and 15% rose fibre. Their premium range demands exceptional quality yarns."

It's so great to see British companies working together.

"Yes, we have an amazing skill set and natural resources in this country so it makes absolute sense to all collaborate. It's obviously great for eco reasons too. We recently received a quote from Araminta which pretty much summarises this perfectly":

‘When creating our luxury woven alpaca pieces, which are inspired, designed and made in Scotland, the quality of the fibre used, and the art of having it transformed into yarn by a fellow UK manufacturer, are pillars which are as important as the weaving of the piece itself. NFC’s bespoke solutions, personalised service, and extensive fibre expertise ensures we use the highest quality materials to create our future heirlooms.’ – Araminta Birse-Stewart, Founder.

See our beautiful Araminta Campbell range here at Ateliers Verts: Araminta Campbell at Ateliers Verts

Who else can you mention that you work with?

"We work with various premium UK knitwear companies one of which is John Smedley and they too have kindly sent us a quote after producing yarn for their Duchy Wool Collection! We must be doing something right!"

“For over 240 years we have been producing knitwear of the highest quality, marrying our dedication to British craftsmanship with the finest fibres. Today working alongside companies like The Natural Fibre Company, we’re able to add bespoke, British fibres to our collections. Fibres which we can trace to source and feel confident in their authenticity and calibre.”

Tim Clark, Technical & Sustainability Director, John Smedley Limited

Wow high praise indeed! -What other materials do you work with?

"We work with Silk, Linen and Bamboo, which we blend with wool to produce the finest quality weaving and machine knitting yarns on cone. Our attention to detail is the same as with pure wool and we enjoy the variation. We need to be competitive on the international stage too. In fact we actually work with the wool of 50 out of the 60 different breeds of sheep in the UK!"

We notice that you also own Blacker Yarns

"Yes Blacker Yarns is our brand dedicated to breed-specific, pure wool yarns that we make here in Cornwall and export to customers in 26 countries. We can craft yarns in a wide range of bases in beautiful, contemporary colour palettes. We're proudly British and members of various organisations:

We love your Blacker Yarns wool kits! - Click Here

Good luck in the future - it's so refreshing to see British manufacturing at work.

Thank you for your time Colin.

#MinimiseOurHumanFootprint

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In the Green Room with Colin Spencer Halsey of the Natural Fibre Company