DO your wool cardigans or jumpers possess an aroma of sheep?

If they do, then that is just as they should be, according to Clapham-based countrywear brand, Glencroft.

The company launched a video this month to coincide with Wool Week and includes a woolly sniff test which highlights the natural, aromatic qualities of British wool.

Glencroft makes many of its clothing and home accessories using 100 per cent British wool.

“COVID-19 put paid to a lot of what we would ordinarily do to engage with people in person at our rural shop during Wool Week, so this year we decided to promote it virtually instead,” said company owner Edward Sexton.

High-quality 100 per cent wool garments smell of lanolin, a wax secreted by sheep. It has a very particular smell which, according to Woolmark, is ‘almost metallic-y, but sweet, grassy and perhaps a little sour.’

Edward Sexton, owner of Glencroft, said: “We wanted to capture and celebrate this smell as it is what makes our products what they are. If your wool jumper doesn’t smell, the fibre may have been over processed, bleached or heat treated.”

“Our quality woollen garments are made from local and natural British Wool so they have a natural wool smell – one which, it has to be said, isn’t for everyone, but we love it,” he added.

Based in a 200-year-old converted barn in the conservation village of Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, Glencroft produces traditional country-style clothing made from natural fibres including British wool, sheepskin and Harris Tweed.

The brand specialises in knitwear, hats, slippers, gloves, sheepskin rugs, throws and other accessories, all inspired by the rural life and the Yorkshire scenery.

Edward Sexton’s parents, Richard and Justina Sexton, founded the company more than 30 years ago and they now supply both UK and international retailers, including the US and Japan.

The video can be found at https://youtu.be/wmdyOLXlrOE