As UK textile and fashion businesses celebrate October as Wool Month it dawned upon me that it was the wool trade that actually helped kick start Westbrook Agency back in the early 90s. It was a friend working at Wool Mark out of the International Wool Secretariat in Ilkley who encouraged me to make the break and set up my own agency. One of my first clients was sure enough Wool Mark, following that Crombie, Replin and then many other great British textile brands over the years.
30 years on (yes I said 30) I find myself back in the thick of this fabulous industry. So much has changed and yet so much of the good stuff has remained which is comforting. Now, working along side UKFT and Fashion District, I look forward to introducing Westbrook to a new generation of great British Textile firms and Fashion houses who will shape the next 30 years. I’m particularly inspired by working with clients such as Albion Knitting, who continue to champion the importance of British and indeed international wool along side other industries that bring innovation and excitement to the UK Fashion and Textile landscape. We will continue in our own way to support and champion the fabulous natural resource that is wool, and as much as I’d like to claim it was by design, the Westbrook ‘W’ is a happy coincidence.