Westmorland Sheepskins has been synonymous with quality sheepskin since 1981, and for a century prior as Heaton's of Leeds. Our commitment to this natural raw material runs deep, reflecting decades of expertise and we honour our heritage by staying true to our principles.
We're dedicated to sourcing the finest natural materials without compromising on quality or affordability, taking time to cultivate relationships with trusted suppliers and manufacturing partners over the years. Most importantly, we've engaged in ongoing conversations with you, our valued customers and friends, ensuring that our products not only meet but exceed your expectations from us and our products.
Beyond a timeless core range of classic slippers, homeware, and accessories, we infuse vibrant colours and prints that defy trends and pay homage to enduring, and classic, design.
Dominique & Tim
Co-Founders & Directors of Westmorland Sheepskins Online
Our Mission
“To provide well-designed, functional high-quality products crafted from responsibly sourced sheepskin and natural materials at accessible prices, delivered via friendly, authentic and relevant experiences”
The backbone to our decision-making - The Five S's
Whenever we make a decision about our sourcing, designs, pricing, suppliers and working practices it's essential that we keep our values at the heart of that process. With this in mind we consider these five S's that keep us honest and ensure that we never compromise on our values.
Human and Team Driven
An idea, design or partnership has to be Sound, well thought through and have relevance and purpose. We work closely (human to human) with small batch manufacturers from the initial design and sampling process through to manufacturing and shipment to ensure our quality standards are never compromised. We use natural products to make thought through products with purpose and constantly monitor our impact, decision-making and outcomes.
Quality AND Cost Driven
If an idea is sound, it also has to make Sense financially. Our manufacturers need to be paid fairly, we need to cover our overheads and try to make a profit to help develop the business and you need (and no doubt want a fair price). With this in mind we made the decision to adopt the Direct to Consumer model. This means that we cut out the agents, the wholesale margins, the third-party profit line and keep our overheads down. Westmorland products go straight from our design team in Yorkshire to our manufacturers, back to us and then straight to you. We keep it simple and you benefit directly.
Genuinely Customer Centric
We are led by the availability of natural materials, by demand, by skills and by design that is timeless, not trend led, just Slow and steady. Starting from the basics; the materials we work with. Sheepskin Leather and Suede are all bi-products of the meat-industry. Without which we would not be selling products made from them. We invest in them because of three BIG reasons. They are bi-products and would otherwise go to landfill. They have a large number of natural properties that synthetic materials do not have. They are plastic-free - instead of using a man-made and non-biodegradable material. We also work with wool and cork, both of which are natural and sustainable materials with considerable natural properties.
Timeless, yet relevant and playful
We are Steadfast in our vision and faithful to our vision and the products that we bring to you. We don't change the benchmark to bring prices down like many other large brands which results in a compromise in the quality of the product.
Some of the things we do not do are:
- substitute leather shoe linings with polyester
- line sheepskin footwear with sheepskin in the sole and using faux materials in the rest of the shoe
- use lower grade sheepskin and bonding them to cow suede to mask imperfections. Using lower grade sheepskin isn't an issue in itself - it's good to make use of what could otherwise be waste. Transparency is important though - if you are paying a premium for a pair of slippers, you want to know exactly what you are getting for your money. We use A grade veg tanned British Sheepskin and Double Face Spanish Merino in all of our Slippers.
Spanish Merino
A natural bi-product with hugely beneficial natural properties and characteristics