Yorkshire weaver helps England win World Cup fashion stakes
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A YORKSHIRE-based weaver has helped the England football team turn out in style by weaving the fabric for the squad’s official suits.
Alfred Brown, one of the few UK weavers capable of producing competitively priced worsted cloth in bulk, has woven the fabric for the official World Cup 2010 suits which will be worn by the England team.
The fabric, which is a pure new wool black and white birdseye weave, has been made into suits by Marks & Spencer. The two button single breasted suit bears the Alfred Brown weaver label inside the jacket and is available to buy in 90 M&S stores nationwide.
Alfred Brown has been weaving worsted fabric in Bramley, Leeds, for almost a century and is a family-owned and run company in its fourth generation.
Ian Brown, joint managing director, said: “We are proud to have woven the cloth for the England World Cup squad.
“We are seeing more and more demand to have our label displayed in the garments, representing that the fabric is made in England.”
He added: “We hope the team will enjoy wearing their suits and wish them luck in South Africa this summer.”
The company has also woven the fabric for blazers worn at The Commonwealth Games, the cloaks featured in the Harry Potter films, and most recently for Manchester United’s team suits.
This year, Alfred Brown has invested more than £750,000 in new machinery.
In August, 12 new looms will be installed to increase efficiency and keep the mill at the forefront of weaving technology.
Running 24 hours a day, five days a week, the mill is operating on full overtime to produce worsted cloth on a scale demanded by large retailers.
The company reported healthy growth and sales for the first half of the year and anticipates selling more than 1m metres of fabric by the end of 2010.
Alfred Brown sells to UK high street retailers including M&S and Next, as well as top end retailers Charles Tyrwhitt, Austin Reed, Gieves and Hawkes, Savile Row tailors and designer labels such as Paul Smith.
