“Everyone is talking about sustainability right now, which can be a bit frustrating as a long-standing English manufacturer,” says Tom Glover, managing director of Peregrine Clothing. “We have always had to be sustainable because we’d never survive otherwise – it’s written into our DNA.”

Tom Glover, MD of Peregrine Clothing

Peregrine is the brand name of J G Glover & Co Ltd, a British brand with a rich family history dating back to 1796 when Thomas Glover started as a hand frame knitter in Wigston, Leicester. The brand specialises in heritage Merino wool jumpers and cardigans, Millerain wax jackets, Merino wool hats and scarves, offering heritage style with a twist.

“We use 100% wool, which is sourced locally, often from around 60 miles from the factory,” explains Tom. “Our biggest thing at the moment is traceability, as there aren’t many brands which can say that they have full control of production line. We can trace everything through to the manufacture of the yarn, through spinning and dyeing. It’s a bit more genuine when you have your own factory.”

The factory is based in Manchester with a small highly skilled workforce. With knitwear at the core of the Peregrine brand, the company uses fully fashioned 7 and 5 gauge machines to knit predominantly Merino and British wool. The woven goods are made in Birmingham, from locally sourced fabrics to ensure a competitive price for a quality product.

Peregrine is proud to offer a fully traceable production line, manufacturing 100% of its range in its UK factories, from locally sourced yarns and fabrics. The brand works with some of the longest established textile companies and fabrics in the world including Harris Tweed, British Millerain, Abraham Moon, Laxtons, Shepley Yarns and British Wool to help create timeless classic garments, which have been built with generations of expertise and knowledge behind every stitch.

“First and foremost, we make a stylish and high quality product which people want to buy, but the fact that we have the history, the traceability and the story behind it is a bonus,” says Tom.

The brand is moving back to using more local yarns and British wool than it has in previous seasons. British wool has been used for centuries to make quality cloth for apparel. It is extremely hard wearing and can withstand continuous wear, keeping the wearer warm in winter and cool in summer.

The UK has more breeds of sheep than any other country in the world with each sheep producing about 2kg of renewable and sustainable wool each year.

“People often think that British wool is scratchy and coarse but we’re using more of the top grade British wools like the Bluefaced Leicesters and Mashams which are much softer,” says Tom. Peregrine also uses Merino wool and Nilo organic cotton in its collections. Nilo is an Egyptian cotton of the highest quality, blended with GIZA 45 and GIZA 87 extra-long cotton fibres.

Tom explains: “Nilo cotton is sustainable, fully traceable, ultra-soft with zero pilling. Farmed from organic BCI cotton and part of the Cotton For Life and Better Cotton Initiative movement, this gives our zero waste polo shirts a sustainable story we are proud to shout about.”

Tom believes consumers are increasingly interested in how products are made and the yarns used in collections they buy. “It’s showing in our online sales and wholesale, and it’s great that there is growing interest in what happens behind the scenes. We’re very proud of our production and it’s something we love to show.”

Peregrine is also about to launch a wool fleece in AW21, based on the success of its wool overshirts over the past few seasons.

“Many brands you see with strong environmental credentials in many areas still have fleeces that are made from polyester-acrylic blends,” says Tom. “We’re launching what we think is the first 100% wool fleece so we’re pretty excited.

“If you bury a polyester-acrylic fleece it will stay there for 3,000 years but if you bury a wool one, it will disappear in three months. That’s a big thing.”

Peregrine pieces are designed to span seasons as a wardrobe staple that will be loved for years to come. They are designed to stand up to the elements but transition perfectly to suit an urban environment making them adaptable for both city living and country breaks.

“We want to create great product that offers value for money, while remaining honest and authentic,” says Tom. “It’s pretty simple really.”

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Peregrine Clothing is a UKFT member. Interested in becoming a UKFT member? Find out more about membership here.