TWO West Yorkshire mills are to produce more luxury yarn and fabric from a rare type of wool following the expansion of a deal with the supplier.

Bradford-based SIL Holdings Ltd has extended an exclusive agreement with The Escorial Company Limited in New Zealand which will see its Bradford and Huddersfield mills process the fibre into made-to-order luxury fabrics.

The latest agreement follows a growing partnership between SIL Holdings and The Escorial Company over the past three years to distribute Escorial cut length fabric to tailors and other made to measure customers.

The two companies have now extended their collaboration which increase production of Escorial yarn and cloth for both seasonal collections and bespoke orders for worsted and woollen fabrics.

Escorial fibre comes from only three sheep farms - two in Australia and one in New Zealand - and creates fabrics with superior drape and resilience and a distinctive soft handle. The Escorial Company was founded in 1997 to protect and promote the wool from an authentic source.

David Gallimore, managing director of Luxury Fabrics, part of the SIL group, which will weave the cloth, said the latest deal would mean m,any more metres of Escorial fabric being produced.

Speaking from the Premiere Vision textile fair in Paris, he said: " This extension of the agreement with Escorial will enable us to expand production of yarn and fabric from this very special fibre and include it in our seasonal collections every six months from which our sales team will market it around the world.

"Garments made from Escorial wool are popular in markets including China, Japan, South Korea and Italy and we expect demand to remain strong .It is a really special fibre from a protected source and will sit alongside our other ranges made from fibres such as merino wool, cashmere and mohair."

Peter Radford , owner of the Escorial brand, said: “It is time now to expand further and we are delighted to be furthering our relationship with the SIL Group to do this."

Andrew Seal, SIL group managing director, added: “Escorial is an amazing and sustainable luxury fibre and a brand with provenance that fits naturally with SIL’s luxury brands and product offers. The partnership with The Escorial Company will undoubtedly give Escorial added synergy in the marketplace.”

SIL Holdings group includes Bradford weaving brands William Halstead , John Foster and Charles Clayton and woollen weaver Joshua Ellis in Batley.