Camira links up with campaign for wool to mark the Chinese new year of the sheep

Huddersfield textile manufacturer Camira has linked up with the campaign for wool and London based Chinese dim sum teahouse Yauatcha. As the Chinese new year promises a new “fleece” of life to mark the occasion, the company provide upholstery fabric to fit out a Chinese teahouse in London for the Chinese Year of the Sheep.

The restaurant interior was given a makeover using specially-selected Camira wool upholstery to tansform it into an unusual sheep-themed art gallery. In keeping with Chinese tradition, where eight is a lucky number and the colour red symbolises good fortune, Camira re-upholstered eight dining chairs and decorated the restaurant pillars using a lavish red wool felt fabric.

The finishing touches were provided by cushions and upholstered bar stools and felted wool cut-out sheep for the uniforms of waiting staff.

Camira marketing director Ian Burn said that they havve supported the Campaign for Wool since its launch on Savile Row nearly five years ago, so the latest collaboration is a perfect fit to do something fun, promote wool and showcase the gorgeous interior of the Yauatcha restaurant.

They are great advocates of using natural fibres and are leading the industry in blending wool with fibres such as nettles, flax and hemp.
The company was founded in 1974 as Camborne Fabrics and was acquired by US flooring company Interface Inc in 1997 before Camira was born out of a management buy-out in 2006. It employs about 650 staff and has turnover of about £65m.

Camira has its head office in Mirfield, spinning in Birkby and weaving in Meltham. It designs and makes about 8m metres of upholstery fabric a year which is sold in 80 countries for use in offices, hotels, government buildings, hospitals and clinics as well as theatres.

Camira has won Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in Innovation and Sustainable Development.