Ashford Handicrafts

What Ashford Handicrafts does

Ashford Handicrafts (legal entity: Ashford Wheels & Looms LP), founded in 1934 and headquartered in New Zealand, is a privately-held manufacturer of fiber-arts crafting equipment. The company designs, produces, and distributes spinning wheels, drop spindles, rigid heddle and multi-shaft looms, tapestry and inkle looms, drum and hand carders, dyes and dyeing kits, felting tools, and related accessories, along with a consumables line of wool and cotton yarns, undyed and dyed fibers, luxury fibers, and instructional books. Its technical footprint includes electronically-operated devices such as the e-Spinner 3, e-Spinner Super Jumbo, and e-Carder 30, plus configurable flyer systems (Freedom Flyer, Kiwi Super Flyer) that allow a single wheel to spin multiple yarn types. Manufacturing takes place in an owned factory and woollen mill in New Zealand.

Ashford sells exclusively through a categorized global authorized-dealer network spanning New Zealand, Australia, the USA, Europe, and additional international markets; the company explicitly does not sell direct to consumers. Dealers are segmented by product specialty (full range, spinning, weaving, fiber/yarn, felting) and capability (in-store, online, distributor). The revenue model is therefore a wholesale hardware business with recurring consumables and educational material attachment. Public pricing is not disclosed; dealers set their own retail prices.

The company pursues a content-driven community strategy anchored on the Ashford blog, The Wheel Magazine (35 issues), multilingual learn-to booklets (English, German, French, Japanese, Chinese, Finnish, Spanish), a YouTube tutorial channel, Instagram and Facebook presence, an email newsletter, the annual Ashford Award program for textile designers, and regular participation at international fiber festivals (e.g., Australian Sheep and Wool Show, Vermont Sheep and Wool, NY State Sheep and Wool). Its customer base is a horizontal long tail of individual hand spinners, weavers, fiber-preparation enthusiasts, felters, and dyers — with no disclosed enterprise accounts. Ashford operates with 1–10 employees and is led by Richard Ashford, who was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2026 King's Birthday Honours.

Name

Ashford Handicrafts

Legal name

Ashford Wheels & Looms LP

Website

https://ashford.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ashford Handicrafts is a New Zealand-based manufacturer, founded in 1934, that designs and produces spinning wheels, weaving looms, carders, felting tools, dyes, and fibers for individual hand spinners, weavers, felters, and fiber artists worldwide, selling exclusively through a global authorized dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Textile Crafting Equipment

NAICS

Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills (313110), Saw Blade and Handtool Manufacturing (332216), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Wholesale-Apparel, Piece Goods & Notions (5130), Textile Mill Products (2200), Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)

akta.pro primary industry

Threads, Yarns & Sewing Notions (Sewing Thread/Embroidery Thread/Bobbins/Needles) (IMAOALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sewing Thread Manufacturing (IMAOAAAH)

Keywords

• Spinning wheels
• Weaving looms
• Textile equipment
• Fiber arts tools
• Handicraft machinery

Headquarters

HQ city

Allanton

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales (Crafting Equipment): Sale of spinning wheels, looms, carders, and accessories - the core product lines. Products sold through global dealer network at various price points ranging from beginner to professional grade.
2. Consumables (Yarns, Fibres, Dyes): Sale of wool yarns, cotton yarns, luxury fibre blends, dyeing supplies, and felting materials. Recurring revenue through consumable purchases by existing customers.
3. Books and Educational Materials: Sale of instructional books including Ashford Book of Hand Spinning, Ashford Book of Rigid Heddle Weaving, and technique guides. Supports customer learning and product adoption.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ashford Handicrafts (also known as Ashford Wheels & Looms) manufactures and distributes spinning wheels, weaving looms, and related textile crafting equipment. The company produces equipment designed for handspinners, weavers, and fiber artists to process raw fiber into yarn and woven textiles. Founded in 1934 in New Zealand, the company sells exclusively through a worldwide network of authorized dealers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spinning Wheels Mechanical devices used by handspinners and fiber artists to twist and wind raw fiber (such as wool) into yarn. Designed for individual hobbyists, craft practitioners, and small-studio fiber artists seeking reliable spinning equipment.
• Weaving Looms Frame-based weaving equipment used by handweavers to interlace yarn into fabric and woven textiles. Sold to individual weavers and fiber artists for personal creative use, home production, and small-scale studio weaving.
• Textile Crafting Equipment and Accessories Complementary fiber arts tools and accessories supporting the spinning, weaving, and textile crafting process. Used by handspinners and weavers alongside spinning wheels and looms to prepare fiber, manage yarn, and finish woven pieces.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Majacraft: New Zealand-based maker of premium spinning wheels and fiber tools. Direct competitor headquartered in the same country, with strong overlap in product mix and customer base.
• Harrisville Designs: US-based manufacturer of floor and table looms and yarn. Comparable to Ashford in loom equipment and complementary yarn product offerings serving fiber artists and weavers.
• Louet BV: Netherlands-based manufacturer of spinning wheels, weaving looms, and yarns. Direct peer across Ashford's core spinning and weaving product categories, serving the same hobbyist market globally.
• Leclerc Looms: Canadian manufacturer of weaving looms and weaving accessories since 1876. Direct peer in the weaving equipment category with overlapping customer segments among hand weavers.
• Schacht Spindle Company: US-based manufacturer of spinning wheels, looms, and fiber arts equipment since 1969. Direct peer to Ashford with overlapping product categories (spinning wheels, rigid heddle and floor looms) and a similar craft-focused customer base.
• Lendrum Handcrafted Spinning Wheels: US-based manufacturer of spinning wheels and accessories. Comparable to Ashford in the spinning equipment category with similar premium positioning and enthusiast customer base.
• Kromski & Sons: Polish manufacturer of spinning wheels, looms, and weaving accessories. Comparable in product scope and target market to Ashford, with similar niche positioning in the fiber arts hobbyist segment.

Broad incumbents

• Bernina International: Swiss manufacturer of premium sewing, embroidery, and quilting machines. Broad incumbent serving the same crafting consumer demographic as Ashford, though focused on computerized sewing rather than hand spinning or weaving.
• Brother Industries: Global manufacturer of sewing, embroidery, and crafting machines with broad household name recognition. Larger incumbent operating across crafting equipment with overlapping end-user hobbyists, though its core focus is computerized sewing rather than spinning/weaving.

Regional players

• Glimakra Sverige AB: Sweden-based manufacturer of handweaving looms and weaving accessories. Comparable weaving equipment product mix to Ashford but primarily serves the Scandinavian and European market with similar heritage brand positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/subscription_center?add_user=AshfordHandicrafts
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ashford.Wheels.Looms
• Instagraminstagram.com/ashford_wheels_looms
• Xx.com/ashfordnz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ashford-handicrafts-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ashford Handicrafts