From the Cockpit: A Conversation on Wool
At Stanley Biggs Clothiers, wool is the fabric at the heart of everything we do. From British sheep grazing on windswept hills to centuries-old mills where yarn is spun, dyed and woven, every piece carries a story.
Layered in a jumper, wrapped as a scarf or tailored into our new trousers, wool breathes, lasts and moves with you. It is honest, resilient and quietly brilliant, just like the British craft that shapes it.
In this blog, Sophie explores the journey from shepherd to spinner, and why wool remains the ultimate expression of heritage, purpose and refinement.
1. What first drew you to working with wool, and why has it remained such an important fabric for you?
I‘m actually answering this wrapped head to toe in wool – a wool jumper, scarf, cap and our new trousers, while co-pilot in a 1930s sports car. Driver at the wheel (the husband) also decked out in wool.
The wind cuts straight through the car at this speed, but the wool keeps us warm without ever feeling heavy. That’s the thing about wool – it’s honest, dependable and quietly brilliant. I’ve always loved materials that feel alive, that soften and shape with time. Wool has that. It breaths, it lasts and it never feels artificial. In addition to this, once we reach our destination, we can step out from a windswept journey and look ready to take on the rest of the day.
2. Why is using British wool specifically such a key part of your approach?
There’s something fitting about British wool being tested on British roads in a British sports car from an earlier century. It’s made for this climate; foggy mornings, damp air and a sudden chill, a bit of drizzle now and then. And this isn't a climate isolated to the Britain Isles.
Using British wool keeps us connected to the land, to the farms and mills that have spun and woven it for centuries. It’s not just nostalgia, it’s respectfully supporting an ancient industry. These are skills and stories worth holding onto.
3. Can you talk a little about the process of sourcing the wool for your collections and anything else that may be interesting to our customers?
It all starts with the sheep – hardy British breeds raised on windswept hillsides and coastal farms all over the British Isles. From there, it’s the farmers who do the real work. Caring for the flocks and shearing them each year to produce that remarkable raw fleece. The British Wool Association steps in next, grading and auctioning the wool to ensure farmers are paid fairly and that every batch can be traced back to its origin.
That wool is then bought by spinners and yarn suppliers – people who have often been in the trade for generations – before it reaches the mills we work with, like Abraham Moon in Yorkshire. The mill dyes, spins, weaves and finishes everything under one roof, just as it has been done for over a century.
When you step back, you realise how many hands and skills are woven into a single garment. From shepherd to spinner, dyer to designer – it’s a complete chain of craft. Without each of them, we wouldn’t have the beautiful fabrics that define our jumpers, scarves, caps and trousers. It’s not just about wool; it’s about the people who keep that tradition alive. We’re part of that lineage. It’s quite something.
4. How does wool reflect the heritage and identity of Stanley Biggs Clothiers?
If you think about it, wool sits right at the centre of everything Stanley Biggs stands for – heritage, practicality and quiet refinement.
It’s the original performance fabric: naturally water-resistant, warm, breathable, and tough enough to withstand decades of wear. Long before technical synthetics and marketing campaigns, people relied on wool for everything; work wear, uniforms, exploration, sport and everyday life. Even underwear!
That’s where our identity as a brand really connects. Stanley Biggs Clothiers was born from an admiration for those same values: utility, craftsmanship, and a certain understated Britishness. Wool represents all of that.
It’s as comfortable in a workshop as it is behind the wheel of an old motorcar. It doesn’t shout; it simply performs – quietly, reliably, beautifully.
And then there’s the heritage. Every wool piece we make – from the fisherman’s-style ‘Gansey’ jumper to the handmade caps or a pair of our new wool trousers – links back to real garments that served real people.
We don’t design for fashion’s sake; we design to carry that spirit forward. Wool lets us do that. It’s living proof that the old ways still work – that good materials, honest design and a bit of British grit never go out of style.
5. Tell us about this new range of wool trousers. What inspired the range and why will customers like it?
These trousers are based on a genuine 1930s pattern we studied in detail – the kind of garment that was designed first and foremost for function, not fashion. We quite literally turned the original pair inside out to understand every aspect of its construction: why each panel was cut the way it was, how the seams carried the weight, and where strength mattered most.
What we found was a masterclass in purposeful design – something modern manufacturing often overlooks. We’ve stayed true to that approach.
Every element serves a purpose: from the heavier, unbleached organic cotton lining that gives structure and breathability, to the British-made Corozo buttons and the use of 100% natural fibres that are safe for you and kind to the environment.
And while high-waisted, wide-leg trousers are having a moment in the spotlight currently, most versions you see now only echo the look.
They rarely capture the feel – that perfect balance of cut, cloth and function.
We’ve gone to great lengths to recreate that, to make a pair of trousers that aren’t just inspired by history, but built with the same intelligence and intention that made those originals so enduring.