Mirfield-based Camira Fabrics will produce the distinctive seat covers for West Yorkshire’s new publicly-run fleet of buses.
Camira will make the moquette for the new Weaver Network buses, combining its 200 years of transport textile expertise with a patchwork design inspired by the people and places of West Yorkshire.
The county’s textile heritage is part of what gave the Weaver Network its name.
Camira Fabrics traces its West Yorkshire roots back more than 200 years but is also at the forefront of the region’s modern textiles industry.
With its HQ in Mirfield and a factory in Meltham, the company has exported seat coverings for transport systems across the globe – from Sydney Rail to the Los Angeles Metro.
Made from wool sourced from British Wool in Bradford, the new moquette will be rolled out on Weaver Network buses when they start to hit the streets in Spring 2027.
Design influences range from African wax prints to Yorkshire tweeds, nods to artists like David Hockney, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, and motifs drawn from the region’s landscape.
The Weaver Network is West Yorkshire’s new, integrated transport network – joining up buses, trains, walking, wheeling and cycling under one name.
Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said: “The Weaver Network belongs to West Yorkshire – that’s why the seat pattern is inspired by the people, places and culture that shape our region.
“Our buses will literally carry the fabric of West Yorkshire wherever they go – and will be felt by millions as they weave their way through our better-connected region.”
Honor Clough, Camira’s business manager for transport fabrics, said: “We provide 100% of the fabrics for the London Underground – so, if you ever sit down on the tube, you’ll be sitting on Camira Fabrics from West Yorkshire!
“Organisations choose us because we meet high standards in flammability and durability. We have our own research team, and we try to stay at the forefront of design and innovation.”
Camira’s continuous improvement manager, Victor Smyth, said: “It’s always nice to be involved in a fabric that’s going to be used in our local area. It’s a heritage thing for me – my parents worked in textiles, so it’s in my blood.
“Yarn resilience is important for the seats, as is getting the colours right and making a seat people want to sit on.
“Textiles are touchy-feely, so if a seat cover feels nice to look at and touch, people will want to sit on it.”
