Leading British textile manufacturer Hainsworth has teamed up with a top designer to showcase its growing work with fashion houses. Anita Massarella Design Couture was commissioned to produce the stunning ‘Hainsworth Coat’ made with the firm’s iconic Bright Scarlet Doeskin.

A tightly milled steep twill base cloth with a long lasting lustrous finish, Hainsworth Doeskin has superb drape and handle. Widely used for military mess dress and garments, the traditional British fabric is made in the 229-year-old Yorkshire mill from one of their finest blends.

M&S model Amy Hanson was photographed wearing the Hainsworth Coat at the mill where the fabric was made.

The coat is intended to raise the profile in fashion circles of the specialist mill which is the luxury fabric supplier to the world’s royalty including Queen Elizabeth II. It has exclusively supplied ceremonial woollen cloth to the Ministry of Defence which can be seen on the iconic Royal Guards outside Buckingham Palace and was worn by Prince William on his wedding day.

The Hainsworth coat was made from four metres of Bright Scarlet Doeskin and a metre of Grey Collar Melton. The Melton fabric was originally produced in Leeds by Kate Middleton’s ancestors, the Luptons. William Lupton & Co. Ltd became part of Hainsworth in 1958.

While the coat has initially been produced as a one-off, Hainsworth said it would be interested in manufacturing commercially subject to demand.

Tom Hainsworth, Managing Director of Hainsworth, said: ‘It’s an exciting time for us and we are looking forward to working with more designers and high-end retail houses not just in Britain but across the world. There is a genuine recognition of the quality of British fabric along with an interest in its heritage and history. ‘Military styled fabrics come into vogue on a regular basis for both men and women and designers like the fact our fabrics have been used to clothe the actual British military for years. ‘We have the capacity to deal with large or small orders and pride ourselves on being able to manufacture onsite in the UK where we have complete control of the production process.’

Anita Massarella said: ‘It was fantastic to work with Hainsworth and to be able to use the very best quality materials that money can buy to design this full length coat.
‘A team of five spent over a hundred hours creating it using traditional tailoring skills and handwork.’

Several high profile designers are using Hainsworth fabrics for autumn 2012.
Christopher Raeburn, who used Hainsworth fabric to create his Skater Coat as part of his 2011 Winter Collection British range, said: ‘A British textile company that carries every process in-house, from raw wool to finished cloth, is so rare to find. Hainsworth should be proud of what they are producing.’

Back in 1990 when I started as a mule apprentice at Hainsworth – the majority of spinning was done by mule.  Over the years as efficiencies were more important, the transitional to increase production frames meant the slow removal of the traditional mule.

So… the two mules at the museum – one had been running until a few months previously, the other which is in fact the oldest exhibit of a mule in the country, is in such disrepair it may never run (sad but true).

The time came when it was ready to spin a yarn, a billiard yarn type of which Hainsworth pride themselves on the quality, albeit 100 year old machinery it spun like a dream, very slow but almost expected from such old machinery.

So here we are in 2011 with a large part of history of woollen spinning in a runnable condition and it is our aim to work with the museum, utilise museum staff to learn about the mule and for future generations to learn about the history of woollen spinning in Leeds.

If you would like to see this fascinating piece of history running, please get in touch.  We aim to run it at some point almost every day.  We are training museum staff up to be able to demonstrate the process.  If I am at the museum, I would be delighted to show you and answer any questions.

Thank you

Paul Smith (Yarn Operations Technician)

Leading British textile manufacturer Hainsworth is focussing on helping fire services combat heat stress – the biggest threat to firefighter safety.

The company is finding that its innovative fabrics are proving increasingly popular with firefighters operating in some of the world’s hottest countries.

Hainsworth has embarked on a global campaign to highlight the unique benefits of its range of TI-technology ^TM outershell solutions for personal protective equipment.

The company believes that its combination of fibre, weaving and finishing technologies offer firefighters the ultimate in high performance fabrics.

Hainsworth will be exhibiting at a number of industry-leading events in the United States, Europe and Middle East during the coming 12 months. It recently attended the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council (AFAC) conference in Sydney, A+A in Dusseldorf, Germany, and will be showing at Intersec, Dubai, in January 2012.

Firefighters in the US, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Scandinavia and Central Europe already use Hainsworth^® TITAN, as do a large number of fire brigades in the UK. But the 225-year-old Yorkshire-based company is reporting particularly strong interest among services in Australasia, the Middle East and United States.

Hainsworth^® TITAN is a patented double cloth construction with Nomex^® on the face to provide optimal UV stability, thermal protection, abrasion resistance and colour fastness, and Kevlar^® on the back to provide strength and thermal integrity. The kits offer exceptional heat stress management capabilities as well as comfort, wear life and durability, heat and flame protection and chemical resistance.

Charlotte Brandt, Sales Manager for Hainsworth Protectives, said: “The Hainsworth team is continually innovating and developing the best possible protective fabrics for today’s firefighters.

“We place a huge amount of emphasis on providing fire services with fabric solutions which combat heat stress – the biggest cause of firefighter injury and death worldwide – minimise the impact of UV degradation and ensure maximum durability and breathability.

“Today’s kit has to perform many duties to protect the modern firefighter, which are often at odds with each other. It must stop water and heat from outside the garment getting through to the wearer while allowing water (sweat in the form of moisture vapour) and heat from the wearer to dissipate to the outside. It must be robust enough to offer high levels of thermal and mechanical protection while also being light and breathable enough to minimise heat stress.”

In addition to Hainsworth® TITAN, the company provides other options tailored to suit specific requirements of firefighters. Hainsworth® METIS provides a lightweight option for low risk scenarios, while Hainsworth® ATLAS is a heavyweight double cloth offering the highest level of thermal protection in the range.

NOTES TO EDITORS

• For more information or interviews, please contact Nick Mason at Mason Media on +44 (0) 151 239 5050 or +44 (0) 7903 237008.
• Case studies and photographs available upon request.

Scarlet & Argent is a timeless collection of lifestyle accessories created for the home. Founded by Hainsworth – THE luxury fabric supplier to the world’s royalty and our very own Queen Elizabeth II, Scarlet & Argent is instilled with a stunning heritage that spans across 7 family generations and is synonymous with some of the most iconic moments in British history since 1783.

Taking inspiration from our rich British heritage, we weave together our love of luxury, passion for design and fresh, modern thinking to create what we like to call, contemporary classics. Beautiful in their simplicity, timeless in style and exquisite in their detail, our lifestyle accessories are the perfect compliment to your home. The ideal statement piece or your most coveted home comfort, Scarlet & Argent woollen blankets, throws and soft furnishings effortlessly enhance the look of your home to create inviting interiors that exude relaxed elegance and contemporary charm.

Like any family, we have our traditions, and they have become the touchstones that remain at the heart of our collection and our creative process. As one of the few remaining mills of our kind, we are passionate about pure British quality, which is why each Scarlet & Argent piece is created exclusively in our specialist Yorkshire mill – from the selection of the raw wool to the hand-finished touches. We use only the finest natural materials and insist on impeccable finishing – because we know that it’s this attention to detail that gives our beautiful woollen lifestyle accessories their exceptional quality, their indulgent textures and a special place in your home.

For more information please visit www.scarletandargent.co.uk.

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Shoe retailer, Clarks shoes are launching a new shoe range for their SS12 collection, made from Hainsworth wool cloth. These red military desert boots are detailed with gold buttons and shoes laces.

Clarks are manufactured and distributed these across the world and may be available at your local store. More information about where these would be sold will be posted on our blog, so keep a look out!