For a small start-up social enterprise this exposure was beyond brilliant: it brought new visitors to our website, an influx of orders from across the UK, and gave a platform to some of the wonderful partners who have joined our journey, among them knitwear designer Jo Storie, the Sanquhar knitters at A’ the Airts Community Hub, and the Colleys with their flock of blackies near Thornhill. We thought it might be interesting for our followers to hear more of how our One Show segment came about, especially those also launching new businesses or trying to generate interest for a charitable enterprise.
We knew from the earliest days of ‘the wool project’ that we had a great story to tell. For one, we were (and believe we still are) the only business creating high end outerwear using 100% Scottish Blackface wool. Our connection with the UNESCO Biosphere is also unique; Galloway and Southern Ayrshire is both provenance and catalyst, as we raise funding for the GSAB Partnership to continue its incredible work. But marketing to take a new enterprise from a standing start to consistent sales is a huge undertaking in any context – perhaps more so when you are marketing a product that doesn’t already exist, through a business model that hasn’t been tested before.
Recognising the importance of getting our marketing right, a respectable chunk of the money raised through our 2023 Crowdfunder campaign was allocated to marketing and PR. Our consultant Kirsty Innes is time-served with the heritage and third sectors and among other standout organisations has worked with The Great Tapestry of Scotland (and did you know: creating the Great Tapestry used 300 miles of wool!).
Kirsty and our team worked together to draw up a wish list of TV, radio and print and started making our approaches. A great PR professional can capture your story in just a few lines – this is both essential and effective when trying to connect with media reps who field so many enquiries in so little time. The One Show were interested, and more importantly wanted to tell our story as it should be told: all the way from farm to fashion.
The feature that screened in January was actually shot in July 2024, and filming followed discussion and planning over several months before that. It was important we show the beautiful Scottish Blackface sheep, the heart of our brand, and for this we needed to find a farmer willing to be filmed at work, with their own flock, on their own property. We needed to share our process too; our bespoke yarn – the only one of its type in the world, used exclusively for the Merrick clothing range – and what our designs represent in terms of craft and the traditions of knitting with Scottish wool. Finally, we wanted to capture people’s response to the garments themselves, for which we needed a special event where we could showcase the knitwear collection, invite the public to try the styles and hear their thoughts.
In logistical terms, this was a lot to coordinate. Filming a five-minute TV slot takes a heck of a lot of emailing and telephone calls. The time of year is critical: when is it convenient to film, and what will the sheep be doing on the day? Weather is important, of course, not just for getting appealing footage but in considering the crew, partners, and Merrick staff, some of whom would be travelling significant distances. We were delighted to be given permission to film at the Stewartry Show, an beloved local agricultural show that has taken place annually near Castle Douglas for over 70 years, so we also needed to get essential persons (and the clothes!) on-site and work to camera at the same time as speaking to potential customers.
And we had a wonderful group of makers and creatives joining Team Merrick and the One Show crew in the Biosphere Community of Sanquhar for an extra special Bleat n’ Blether event. Following the format of past community gatherings where we get together to share coffee, cake, and local stories about farming and wool, this time attendees would be filmed knitting with our Scottish Blackface yarn. Everyone present volunteered a full day of their own time to support the making of our wee feature, because they believe in the cause and share our love of everything wool! Again, many travelled quite some way to be with us, including our friends from Creation Mill in Langholm, a CIC founded in circularity and the joy of learning and doing with textiles. We were so energised by, and grateful, for everyone’s participation.
The above is a speed-run through the story behind the show; we have skipped the bits that happened beyond our own expertise, like the storyboarding and all the tech, and have breezed past the brief drama of Malcolm the lost mannequin. But what an experience! We were so lucky to have days of sunshine: a bright Sanquhar studio for filming (perfect for close-ups of needles at work), and a glorious outdoor stand at the Stewartry Show, allowing visitors to take their time getting a feel for our different knitwear styles while chatting to the team. Although it’s still early days for us in exploring the endless avenues of media and PR, we’re already pretty hooked on the filmmaker’s ethos of ‘show, don’t tell’ as a way to bring our brand to life.
We hope this has been an interesting read, and perhaps useful too. We’re excited for new opportunities and collaborations through 2025: if you’re not already following, please do sign up for our newsletter here on the website (there’s an unobtrusive pop-up on every page and the newsletter only goes out when we have actual news), and join us on socials – we’re on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn where we’ll share all the latest #merrickscotland updates. Hope to see you there.
Finally, ICYMI, this was us: Merrick Scottish Blackface Knitwear on The One Show…