Over the past year, Seal International has established a commercial partnership with Steve Prentice, from British Mohair Marketing (BMM) to purchase and process British mohair at commercial scale. This collaboration brings together two UK-based organisations with deep expertise in natural fibres and a shared focus on traceability and quality.

British mohair, produced from the fleece of UK-raised Angora goats, is valued for its softness, sheen and durability, making it well-suited for high-quality yarns, fabrics and knitwear. Farmed in the UK, it benefits from origin assurance, allowing manufacturers to verify ethical and sustainable production practices. The fibre is carefully graded, washed and combed to produce consistent sliver tops ready for spinning. Its combination of heritage farming, quality control and local processing supports UK agriculture, retains value within domestic supply chains, and provides the textile industry with a fibre of verified provenance and adaptable applications.

Seal International, based in Bradford, specialises in sourcing, processing and supplying natural fibres including mohair, cashmere, alpaca and silk. The family-owned business has operated for over 50 years and is part of the SIL Group, a UK textile group with businesses spanning fibre sourcing, stockholding, yarn, fabric and finished product manufacturing, serving customers across multiple countries.

British Mohair Marketing (BMM) is a UK-based mutual society supporting domestic mohair producers by organising the collection, grading and sale of raw fibre. It provides guidance on shearing, sorting and presentation and works with processors to promote British mohair commercially, including through the “British Mohair Origin Assured” traceability programme.

Under the partnership, Seal International collects, grades and sorts British mohair at its Bradford facility. The fibre is then combed and refined into sliver tops, an intermediate stage that prepares it for spinning into yarn for fabrics and knitwear. Each batch is traceable back to its farm of origin through BMM’s certification scheme.

“Seal International is pleased to formalise an exclusive agreement to purchase and process British Mohair, supporting the fibre from farm to finished product,” said sales executive Daniel Dyson. “As the exclusive partner of British Mohair Marketing, we aim to highlight the potential of British Mohair and its applications in the textile industry. This partnership represents an important step in developing the UK’s natural fibre sector and supporting domestic producers.”

Processing takes place on dedicated lines with rigorous quality controls to maintain fibre integrity. “We’ve been working steadily to bring this fibre to life, transforming raw British-grown mohair into combed sliver tops,” added Daniel. “Scouring is the first critical step, where we wash the mohair to remove lanolin, dirt and residual oils. In the combing stage, we isolate the longest, strongest and most consistent strands to produce sliver ready for spinning. Every kilogram processed at Seal is fully traceable to its farm of origin and certified through British Mohair Marketing’s origin-assured scheme.”

As the programme develops, the fibre will continue to be processed into yarns and fabrics for use in fashion and interior applications, demonstrating how collaboration between British farmers and specialist processors can deliver a high-quality, traceable natural fibre to the market.

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