Weaving wool back into Bradford’s industrial future

Peter Ackroyd has been globetrotting on behalf of UK wool textiles for more than 35 years. 

He has visited Japan 103 times and New York 65 times, spent some time in the isolated Communist North Korea and is a regular visitor to China. 

In spite of the decline of the UK industry – from employing tens of thousands to around 5,000 people today – he remains optimistic about a revival of its fortunes. 

Peter, 61, has a new role as president of the International Wool Textile Organisation. He was elected at the annual convention in China in May. 

As well as being an important industry forum, Brussels-based IWTO activities include setting strategy, overseeing trading regulations, testing and licensing and arbitration. 

IWTO originated through a bi-lateral industry arbitration agreement between Bradford Chamber of Commerce and the French Roubaix Tourcoing chamber in 1924, when Bradford was still the wool capital of the world. 

Peter became IWTO president after six years on the executive and two as vice-president and will serve an initial term of two years. 

A key part of his role is lobbying – for instance, getting the EU Commission to change its long-standing classification of wool as a ‘waste product’ along with horns tails and claws. 

Educated at Woodhouse Grove school and Bradford Technical College, Peter comes from a textile family. His father was a director of Guiseley-based Carter & Parker, known for its Wendy Wools yarns. 

He studied marketing and textiles and worked for Courtaulds Fibres in France. He returned to Bradford to study Italian and was asked by the National Wool Textile Export Corporation to act as an interpreter for some overseas business. 

In 1974, he joined the Bradford-based body as marketing manager and spent 34 years there, becoming director general in 1991. He left in 2008 after the ending of the industry levy, which had funded NWTEC since 1940, and set up a textile consultancy business. 

This includes being a senior advisor to Australian Wool Innovation, which represents more than 35,000 wool growers and owns the internationally-recognised Woolmark trademark. He is also an export adviser to the Harris Tweed Authority and several UK textile companies. 

Peter’s career has not been without incident. He once had to escape by taxi from Baghdad at the time of some Israeli bombings. He rescued ￡6m worth of Letters of Credit for UK mills and made his way via Damascus to Beirut and safety. 

Less dramatically, Peter frequently rubs shoulders with the Prince of Wales, the patron of the Campaign For Wool, in which he plays a leading role. 

Peter has organised many overseas trade fairs in Europe, the USA, Japan and the Middle East and helped open new markets for UK spinners and weavers. His contribution to wool textiles was recognised with an MBE in 2007. 

Peter, who lives in Saltaire, said that although many famous names, including Salts, Drummonds, Parkland and Jerome, have disappeared due to cheaper production overseas, he is optimistic that a UK textile renaissance is emerging. 

“I can remember when the valleys around here were full of spinning and weaving mills and Leeds was the home of UK tailoring. Most of them have gone now due to production moving ever-further eastwards, via Eastern Europe, then Turkey and, most recently, China. 

“What we have left is a niche sector producing high-quality designs and products mainly for the luxury and upper end of the market,” said Peter. 

His knowledge and experience across the world gives him hope that the UK could see some textile companies investing here again. 

Peter said: “China is becoming increasingly expensive and there are growing concerns about the reliability of delivery over such a long distance. Eastern European production prices are no longer cheap, so I think that more producers will look to invest in their UK operations, following the example of Laxton’s, who brought back some spinning from mainland Europe to Guiseley. 

“Classical Yorkshire woven worsted suitings are still coveted by discerning Arab, Japanese American and Italian customers. The industry invests heavily in design, with leading names such as Vivienne Westwood and Paul Smith singing its praises. 

“Several local mills have been successfully running at more than 90 per cent export for 30 years or more. Many manufacturers have strategically diversified production, adding interior and technical textiles to their portfolios. 

“Today’s consumers, particularly Chinese big spenders, are refusing to pay premium prices for products of dubious provenance and UK weavers are benefiting. 

“Several UK retailers have begun to feature British woollen and worsted fabrics in their collections. Some, including Marks & Spencer, are putting the weaver’s label sewn on to the garments.” 

Peter says wool’s time has come “Several years ago the British Wool Marketing Board had a slogan ‘wool runs on grass’, which is a good way of emphasising its green and sustainable qualities. Wool is natural, renewable and flame retardant – qualities that tick a number of boxes as health and safety and environmental concerns continue to loom ever larger,” he said. 

Peter is a man with fingers in many pies. He is vice president of the strategy committee of Premiere Vision, a major bi-annual apparel fabric trade fair in Paris; director of the British Escorial Guild and also a past president of Bradford Textile Society. 

With his belief in the industry’s future, Peter is determined to continue using his expertise to help it thrive.