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Scottish Borders launches Yarn Exchange

Knitwear companies in the Scottish Borders aim to save thousands of pounds through a new website called Yarn Exchange, a scheme initiated by knitwear manufacturers in the Borders town of Galashiels and Hawick. The Yarn Exchange is a specially developed database-driven website that aims to enable textiles businesses in the region and beyond to buy and sell excess yarns.

10th December 2012

Knitting Industry
 |  Hawick & Galashiels

Knitwear, Knitted Outerwear, Knitted Accessories

 

Knitwear companies in the Scottish Borders aim to save thousands of pounds through a new website called Yarn Exchange, a scheme initiated by knitwear manufacturers in the Borders town of Galashiels and Hawick. The Yarn Exchange is a specially developed database-driven website that aims to enable textiles businesses in the region and beyond to buy and sell excess yarns.

The site aims to address an age-old issue for the textiles industry resulting from the fact that in many cases yarn is sold in minimum order quantities, meaning that even when only a tiny amount is required for a garment a large supply has be purchased. According to Yarn Exchange, until now there has been no easy means for companies to utilise the surplus.

Hugh Williams, co-ordinator of the South of Scotland Creative Clusters Project said: “The new Yarn Exchange will enable companies to convert their surplus yarn back into cash by offering it for sale to other textiles businesses. It will benefit both the buyers and the sellers. The sellers get the money and the buyers can access smaller quantities of affordable yarn.”

Currently, the sellers on Yarn Exchange are all textiles companies based in Scotland, but there are plans to extend membership to the rest of the UK. The project is a collaboration between Scottish knitwear designers and manufacturers, local-initiatives and government bodies.

Rosemary Eribé, company director and founder of Eribé, one of the founding companies said: “It’s great to see all the textile companies working together to benefit everyone, in the future it will be through co-operation and sharing resources we can keep this centuries old industry alive. Not only is Yarn Exchange a great marketplace for buying and selling yarn and other materials, our members will also be able to interact with each other through their company profiles and our message boards."

Anyone in textiles manufacturing, students or ordinary members of the public can access high-quality yarn, haberdashery or even machinery using the Yarn Exchange, the organisation says. They do not have to be a member to buy.

Yarn Exchange is supported by the South of Scotland Creative Clusters Project, an initiative managed by Scottish Borders Council in partnership with Business Gateway and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund. Funding is also said to have come from ten of the Borders top textiles companies.

The founding members of Yarn Exchange are Caerlee Mills, Eribé Knitwear, EMB Knitwear, Gilbert Wilson of Hawick, Hawick Cashmere, Hawick Knitwear, Johnstons of Elgin, Lachlan Munro, Short’s of Hawick and The House of Cheviot.

www.yarnexchange.co.uk.

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