Makers
The best makers are found right across the Isles, and yet all are, in a manner of speaking, on the doorstep. Some are small, light-under-bushel sorts; others grand and world-renowned. For every family-run, hand-operated, tried-and-tested and mastered-over-generations outfit, there’s one embracing the computer-run and the new-fangled. But what they share is excellence. Nothing common-or-garden here. If each maker isn’t the best at what it does, it’s certainly in the top one.
- Hand-loomed knitwear maker, the South-West
- There are fewer and fewer crafts that technology today cannot simulate, but here — with museum-grade machinery and generations-old methods — there are several. Read more
- Mohair mill, West Yorkshire
- No longer centre of the woollen world, West Yorkshire, but many of its mills still capably keep step with progress — and a few, even, are in rude health. Read more
- Button maker, the Midlands
- After 150 years, the Midlands button maker recently vacated its original Victorian premises, but the product off its line hasn’t changed a jot. Read more
- Cashmere mill, West Yorkshire
- A dozen or more looms’ whizz and thump is the first thing of note when stepping out onto the floor of the mill in the Heavy Woollen District of West Yorkshire. More
- Outerwear factory, London N16
- Meticulous cutters, unflappable seamsters, and pleasingly regimented tea breaks in north-east London. More
- Workroom, London NW1
- The north London workroom. Little over two and a half workspaces, 200 or so sq. feet, and pushing out samples and small runs for the best part of a century. More
- Master shirtmaker, Kent
- Cuffs, collars, sleeves, and yokes — all under one Victorian roof. Here, over three narrow floors, shirts of imperious quality are cut, sewn, and finished. Read more
- Jersey maker, Leicestershire
- Nice weather for long-johns. More words and pictures soon from one of last remaining jersey makers in the region.
- One-man-mill, East London
- With his fleet of restored bygone-era looms, there’s little the one-man mill can’t do — or risk life and limb trying. Full write-up soon — and in the meantime.
- Knitwear maker, Nottingham
- Early spring is ordinarily a period of well-earned downtime for the father and daughter-run knitwear firm. Ordinarily.
- Woollen mill, Gloucestershire
- Words and pictures from a maker of outstanding wools and cashmeres in the south-east of the country. Not long now.
- Pattern-cutter, North London
- The maestro. Over half a century cutting for the best in the trade means nous and precision like no other. Watch this space.
- Brass foundry, West Midlands
- Introducing the pattern-makers and metallurgists of the finest brass buckle maker in the Black Country — sand-casting since the 1800s. Coming right up.
- Cotton mill, Lancashire
- Spinning, weaving, and dyeing the best cottons and cords in the country for four generations. Full write-up on the way.
- Melton mill, West Yorkshire
- If ever there was a venerable maker, the melton maker is surely it: clothing the top-crust since Tudor times. Coming soon.
