Everything we do is a celebration of the people, the skills and the traditions of the amazing factories we work with, all of them the very best of their kind, all of them deeply embedded in the culture and history of their communities.
There are so many things I love about these places but often it’s the little details that I like the most; the little handwritten signs (like ‘please wash your own pots’ in the kitchen at Cookson’s), the family photos blu-tacked to machines, all the lovely human touches that elevate these places far above simply places where things are made. These are places where people work and they are important parts of what makes them who they are.
Everything we do is a celebration of the people, the skills and the traditions of the amazing factories we work with, all of them the very best of their kind, all of them deeply embedded in the culture and history of their communities.
There are so many things I love about these places but often it’s the little details that I like the most; the little handwritten signs (like ‘please wash your own pots’ in the kitchen at Cookson’s), the family photos blu-tacked to machines, all the lovely human touches that elevate these places far above simply places where things are made. These are places where people work and they are important parts of what makes them who they are.
Back when we first started we needed photographs for our Kickstarter Campaign page. Catherine was part of the husband and wife team at Source Creative in Blackburn that created our first brand identity and she spent a while in and around the Cookson & Clegg factory taking images of staff, and photographing the product. These pictures literally kick-started our business. David, who is shown cutting a pattern, still cuts most of the new styles, even though he officially retired several years ago.
The ‘Made in Blackburn’ label is so important. It sort of says it all, and for many customers it really means a lot. Ten years later it now adorns tens of thousands of pairs of British made jeans.
Back when we first started we needed photographs for our Kickstarter Campaign page. Catherine was part of the husband and wife team at Source Creative in Blackburn that created our first brand identity and she spent a while in and around the Cookson & Clegg factory taking images of staff, and photographing the product. These pictures literally kick-started our business. David, who is shown cutting a pattern, still cuts most of the new styles, even though he officially retired several years ago.
The ‘Made in Blackburn’ label is so important. It sort of says it all, and for many customers it really means a lot. Ten years later it now adorns tens of thousands of pairs of British made jeans.
I’d worked with Tom on some fantastic projects and knew he could capture everything that was great about our factories in all their wonderful idiosyncrasy. He visited our existing partners plus a few we were just beginning to work with, across Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. There are so many lovely photos from those shoots, but this one has everything I love; the absolute focus of the maker; the personal artefacts, the Caution tape, the Made in Scotland proudly emblazoned on the packing box. I’m also really fond of a tabard.
I’d worked with Tom on some fantastic projects and knew he could capture everything that was great about our factories in all their wonderful idiosyncrasy. He visited our existing partners plus a few we were just beginning to work with, across Lancashire, Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders. There are so many lovely photos from those shoots, but this one has everything I love; the absolute focus of the maker; the personal artefacts, the Caution tape, the Made in Scotland proudly emblazoned on the packing box. I’m also really fond of a tabard.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the job is doing projects with local colleges. Ella was one of a cohort of fashion marketing students from UCLan who we set a brief to create a campaign within their local community. Ella’s photos really stood out, they had so much life and it was clear she had a super eye. We’ve worked on many projects since.
On this assignment she visited two jersey knitting factories and the factory where our polo shirts are made all in the East Midlands. I love an improvised sign, and they’re important, a big part of how these complex communities rub along with one another.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the job is doing projects with local colleges. Ella was one of a cohort of fashion marketing students from UCLan who we set a brief to create a campaign within their local community. Ella’s photos really stood out, they had so much life and it was clear she had a super eye. We’ve worked on many projects since.
On this assignment she visited two jersey knitting factories and the factory where our polo shirts are made all in the East Midlands. I love an improvised sign, and they’re important, a big part of how these complex communities rub along with one another.
Hainsworth have been making clothing in Yorkshire since 1783, making them one of our oldest as well as one of our largest suppliers. They make an amazing range of wool cloths, starting with the raw wool, spinning, dyeing weaving and finishing on site in Pudsey. They famously make the cloth used on Steinway piano keys, as well as the world best snooker table baize. Jack shot them back in 2023, and this picture, showing one of their younger members of staff laughing with one of their older is a particular favourite.
Hainsworth have been making clothing in Yorkshire since 1783, making them one of our oldest as well as one of our largest suppliers. They make an amazing range of wool cloths, starting with the raw wool, spinning, dyeing weaving and finishing on site in Pudsey. They famously make the cloth used on Steinway piano keys, as well as the world best snooker table baize. Jack shot them back in 2023, and this picture, showing one of their younger members of staff laughing with one of their older is a particular favourite.
Walsh is a running icon and globally revered, so it was a real privilege when we began working with them and I got to visit their amazing factory for the first time. It is the last of its kind, the only trainer factory left in the town that invented trainers. To see the first CC logos appear on the back of Walsh-made trainers was a real blast.
Walsh is a running icon and globally revered, so it was a real privilege when we began working with them and I got to visit their amazing factory for the first time. It is the last of its kind, the only trainer factory left in the town that invented trainers. To see the first CC logos appear on the back of Walsh-made trainers was a real blast.
We shot our underwear campaign in Morgan's studio, Teddy’s, in Cardiff, so when we needed to shoot the factory and the staff at the underwear factory a mile or so up the road in New Tredegar, Morgan was the natural choice. The ladies who sew our underwear are a lovely bunch, and this photograph always makes me smile.
We shot our underwear campaign in Morgan's studio, Teddy’s, in Cardiff, so when we needed to shoot the factory and the staff at the underwear factory a mile or so up the road in New Tredegar, Morgan was the natural choice. The ladies who sew our underwear are a lovely bunch, and this photograph always makes me smile.
We make every effort to create the absolute minimum amount of waste, but it’s impossible to make clothes and not leave scraps. A couple of years ago, we started working with The Paper Foundation, a traditional paper mill just up the road in Cumbria, making amazing-quality paper using our cotton denim scraps. It’s an amazing and satisfyingly artisanal process, and a very photogenic one too.
We make every effort to create the absolute minimum amount of waste, but it’s impossible to make clothes and not leave scraps. A couple of years ago, we started working with The Paper Foundation, a traditional paper mill just up the road in Cumbria, making amazing-quality paper using our cotton denim scraps. It’s an amazing and satisfyingly artisanal process, and a very photogenic one too.
Everything we do is a celebration of the people, the skills and the traditions of the amazing factories we work with, all of them the very best of their kind, all of them deeply embedded in the culture and history of their communities.
Great photographs don’t just show our clothes, they tell our story and connect you with what we do.
Our philosophy around photography is really simple: just keep it honest. Shoot the clothes as they are, don’t alter or pin them, don’t retouch. When our clothes arrive and you put them on we want them to look like the clothes you see in the pictures.
Celebrating 10 Years of Community Clothing. The highs, the lows, the socks and the factories
