A few years back, Adrian Chiles did a programme for Radio 4 where he set out to try and dress head-to-toe in UK-made clothing. Somehow, he didn’t find his way to our door (Google was having a holiday?), possibly because it wouldn’t have made for a very exciting show if he’d just come to us and we’d done the lot. Not that long ago (certainly within my lifetime) you could dress head-to-toe in UK made in a thousand different ways, from Goodyear oxfords, suede desert boots, hobnail hikers, leather Mary Janes, cotton plimsolls, rubber wellies, all the way to felt bowlers, straw boaters, cotton bonnets, tweed caps and knitted bobble hats.
But today, as Mr Chiles discovered, it is a far from simple affair. In some parts of the wardrobe, we’re still fairly well served. There are still a good dozen or more great knitwear manufacturers making fabulous quality jumpers, cardis, gloves, woolly hats and scarves, and hundreds of brilliant small-scale knitters. Likewise, a number of great sock makers (though sadly Pantherella closed their UK factory last year).
There are still a few factories making great raincoats (the one in Yorkshire that makes Burberry’s classic trench coat is the biggest), but in recent years Belstaff shut their factory in Stoke, and Aquascutum closed their raincoat factory in Corby. There are a good number of places to make t-shirts, sweatshirts and jersey wear, both in the Midlands and in and around London (which makes me wonder why our best-known premium t-shirt brand makes most of theirs overseas?). And there are still a few fantastic handmade shirt factories, but all of the big ones have gone, which is desperately sad because, at one time, shirtmaking was Northern Ireland’s biggest employer. There are now just three decent jeans factories, all relatively small (one tiny).
In the early 90’s, in the days of the legendary Joe Bloggs, there were more than that in Preston alone. And there’s only one good factory for chinos and cotton trousers. And then, of course, there are pants. Unless you want to go commando (not recommended in this weather), you cannot dress head-to-toe in UK-made without British undies. And there is just one small (but brilliant) underwear factory left, in a corner of south Wales that used to have six really big ones (employing about 2,000 people). This, for us, was the final piece of the UK head-to-toe jigsaw, a jigsaw that covers a modest 94,000 square miles.
Community Clothing is proud to be your one-stop-shop for head-to-toe UK-made dressing. Trainers from Bolton, socks from Sussex or Leicestershire, pants from South Wales, trousers or jeans from Blackburn, t-shirts and sweatshirts from north London, jumpers, from the south of Scottish and coats from Lancashire and Yorkshire. We’ve got you covered, literally.
A few years back, Adrian Chiles did a programme for Radio 4 where he set out to try and dress head-to-toe in UK-made clothing. Somehow, he didn’t find his way to our door (Google was having a holiday?), possibly because it wouldn’t have made for a very exciting show if he’d just come to us and we’d done the lot. Not that long ago (certainly within my lifetime) you could dress head-to-toe in UK made in a thousand different ways, from Goodyear oxfords, suede desert boots, hobnail hikers, leather Mary Janes, cotton plimsolls, rubber wellies, all the way to felt bowlers, straw boaters, cotton bonnets, tweed caps and knitted bobble hats.
But today, as Mr Chiles discovered, it is a far from simple affair. In some parts of the wardrobe, we’re still fairly well served. There are still a good dozen or more great knitwear manufacturers making fabulous quality jumpers, cardis, gloves, woolly hats and scarves, and hundreds of brilliant small-scale knitters. Likewise, a number of great sock makers (though sadly Pantherella closed their UK factory last year).
There are still a few factories making great raincoats (the one in Yorkshire that makes Burberry’s classic trench coat is the biggest), but in recent years Belstaff shut their factory in Stoke, and Aquascutum closed their raincoat factory in Corby. There are a good number of places to make t-shirts, sweatshirts and jersey wear, both in the Midlands and in and around London (which makes me wonder why our best-known premium t-shirt brand makes most of theirs overseas?). And there are still a few fantastic handmade shirt factories, but all of the big ones have gone, which is desperately sad because, at one time, shirtmaking was Northern Ireland’s biggest employer. There are now just three decent jeans factories, all relatively small (one tiny).
In the early 90’s, in the days of the legendary Joe Bloggs, there were more than that in Preston alone. And there’s only one good factory for chinos and cotton trousers. And then, of course, there are pants. Unless you want to go commando (not recommended in this weather), you cannot dress head-to-toe in UK-made without British undies. And there is just one small (but brilliant) underwear factory left, in a corner of south Wales that used to have six really big ones (employing about 2,000 people). This, for us, was the final piece of the UK head-to-toe jigsaw, a jigsaw that covers a modest 94,000 square miles.
Community Clothing is proud to be your one-stop-shop for head-to-toe UK-made dressing. Trainers from Bolton, socks from Sussex or Leicestershire, pants from South Wales, trousers or jeans from Blackburn, t-shirts and sweatshirts from north London, jumpers, from the south of Scottish and coats from Lancashire and Yorkshire. We’ve got you covered, literally.
Community Clothing is proud to be your one-stop-shop for head-to-toe UK-made dressing. Trainers from Bolton, socks from Sussex or Leicestershire, pants from South Wales, trousers or jeans from Blackburn, t-shirts and sweatshirts from north London, jumpers, from the south of Scottish and coats from Lancashire and Yorkshire. We’ve got you covered, literally.
