Make it British Podcast

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🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I'm joined by Laura Watts, managing director of Marton Mills, 3rd generation family weaving business based in Otley, Yorkshire.
Marton Mills was founded in 1931 and has built its reputation on uniform fabric - supplying school wear, military contracts for the Navy and the RAF, and fabric for the King's Coronation.
Now, alongside its core uniform work, Marton Mills is launching its first fully traceable British wool collection in autumn 2026, with yarn sourced just down the road from Laxton's and fabric finished at Roberts Dyers in Keighley.
In this episode we cover:
How Laura went from advising heart surgeons at Johnson & Johnson to running a nearly 100-year-old weaving mill.
Why uniform fabric is the backbone of the business and how the mill weaves 18 to 20,000 metres of fabric a week.
Why so much British-woven fabric still goes offshore for garment production.
What a genuine British procurement policy for military uniforms could look like.
The challenge of recruiting the next generation into textiles.

About Marton Mills
Marton Mills Co Ltd is a family-owned textile mill established in 1931, nestled in the Wharfedale valley in West Yorkshire. The mill produces premium fabrics across a range of end uses, from school and military uniforms to film and television, with a reputation built on consistent quality and traditional Yorkshire values.
Website: martonmills.com
Instagram: @martonmills
🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I visited Laxtons Yarns in Baildon, Yorkshire, a fourth generation family spinning mill that is now employee-owned.
I was given a full tour of the mill floor by commercial director Carly Smith and national accounts manager Rochelle Tracey, before sitting down with them to talk about British wool, the future of the business and the exciting relaunch of their hand knitting range.
Laxtons spin worsted and fancy yarns for hand knitting, machine knitting and weaving. Their Sheepsoft yarn is a blend of Blue Faced Leicester and Masham British wool and travels less than 50 miles from fleece to finished yarn.
Almost the entire workforce is women.
In this episode we cover:
Behind the scenes of how the fibre is spun into yarn.
How Laxtons became employee owned in 2024 and what that means for the future of the business in Yorkshire.
Why 52% of everything Laxtons spins is now British wool, and how that has grown.
The relaunch of their hand knitting range as Bramble & Fleece.
The shift happening across Yorkshire mills, with more women now leading businesses in what has traditionally been a male dominated industry.

About Laxtons
Laxtons Yarns is a fourth generation family spinning mill based in Baildon, Yorkshire. They spin worsted and fancy yarns for hand knitting, machine knitting and weaving, with over 52% of their yarn made from British wool. In July 2024 the business became employee owned, securing its future in Yorkshire. Their hand knitting range is relaunching as Bramble & Fleece in 2026.
Website: laxtons.com | bylaxtons.com
Instagram: @laxtonsyarns
🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

In this episode of the Women in Wool series, I take a trip to the beautiful Essex countryside to visit knitwear designer Genevieve Sweeney in her micro factory, where she designs, programmes, knits, and finishes her collection in house.
We talk about the realities of owning your own industrial knitting machine - from learning to keep the yarn and machine happy, to breaking needles in tears and coming out the other side.
We also hear about Genevieve's mission to revive the almost forgotten art of hand Intarsia, a knitting technique synonymous with Scottish knitwear.
About Genevieve Sweeney
Genevieve Sweeney is a knitwear designer and maker based in Essex. Known for her distinctive use of colour, texture and geometric patterning, Genevieve works with natural fibres including Lambswool and naturally-dyed Merino.
You can find Genevieve and Genevieve Sweeney at:
Website: genevievesweeney.com
Instagram: @genevievesweeney
Genevieve forst appeared on the Make it British Podcast in Episode 39 in March 2019.
You can listen to that episode here

🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply

🚀 Ready to create a British-made product business that's built to last? Without faffing about, wasting wads of cash, or struggling with unreliable factories. Apply for the British Brand Accelerator: makeitbritish.co.uk/apply
In this episode I'm sharing the recording of a recent webinar I ran - 5 Steps to Finding a UK Manufacturer.
Learn my signature 5 Step Factory Readiness Method™ which has helped hundreds of small business owners to get their products made in the UK.
Find out why manufacturers don't get back to you (and how to make sure you get a reply).
Why sampling costs can spiral out of control and how to avoid it.
What a tech pack is, why you need one and how to create a tech pack quickly and easily without using a designer.

If you are trying to get a product made in the UK and want a clear, practical framework to follow without making costly mistakes, this episode will give you exactly that.
In this episode you will also hear me mention a cost price calculator that I have developed.
Try the Cost Price Calculator
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