Established in 2025 the West Coast Cloth Company is a textile studio with a difference.
Andy Ross is a tweed weaver who lived for many years in the Shetland Isles of Scotland where he established a textiles studio on the island of Yell. There he learned how weave traditional woollen cloths. He also began to print on fabric, creating scarves and shawls using silk and wool. Now living in Greymouth of Te Tai Poutini/ the West Coast of the South Island Te Waipounamu, he has begun to weave with locally sourced wool in Aotearoa and has recommenced his printed design work.
Andy’s practice is based on art. Photography, painting and sketching and experimentation are at the heart of the design process. The studio reflects this way of working, with creativity at its heart. To help support this approach there are collections of textiles, costume and cloths from around the world, as well as a gallery of artworks and a reference library of interesting books. Visitors to the studio are welcome to browse the collections and have an introduction to the fascinating world of textiles.