Fashion focus for Hainsworth

TEXTILE manufacturer Hainsworth has teamed up with a Yorkshire designer to pitch its fabrics to the fashion industry.

Hainsworth, better known for producing protective clothing for firefighters, commissioned Leeds fashion design outfit Anita Massarella Design Couture to make a coat out of material usually worn by soldiers on ceremonial duty.

The finished item, known as The Hainsworth Coat, was shown off by Marks & Spencer model Amy Hanson.

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.”

Prince William wore Hainsworth material on his wedding day while ancestors of the Duchess of Cambridge originally produced the ‘grey melton’ fabric also used in the coat.
 
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.”