Quality, craftsmanship, heritage, technical know-how, performance, durability, creativity, provenance, authenticity, ethical production and sustainable credentials are just some of the reasons why designers and brands turn to British textiles.

Read below to see why Louis Vuitton, Stella McCartney, Nigel Cabourn, Phoebe English, United Arrows, Patrick Grant, Bav Tailor, Ester Kubisz, Renata Brenha, Raeburn, Brora, Peregrine, Private White V.C., Misa Harada, Universal Works and Chrysalis England all love working with British fabrics.

I have a long family history associated with the British textile industry and while it has an incredible heritage, it also has a really exciting future. While they continue to preserve traditional skills and craftsmanship, today’s mills are not standing still: creating, innovating, and adapting to meet the needs of the consumer of tomorrow, both in the UK and around the world.

Patrick Grant, Designer at Community Clothing

I really value the British textile companies that we work with to make the Louis Vuitton men’s textile accessory collections. They have a unique perspective and technical know-how, coupled with creativity and reactivity.

Alan Dougall, Senior Designer Textile Accessories – Studio Homme – at Louis Vuitton

The pristine handloom weave of British wool blend suits, tailored by my Grandfather, worn by my Father, were always a source of inspiration during my childhood. I remember visiting a mill in Yorkshire and was mesmerised with the transformational storytelling of wool. Impeccable craftsmanship, quality assurance and ethical production, for me still remain the quintessence of British textiles. It is truly motivating to discover British suppliers showcasing sustainable collections from recycled wool, linen and cottons to second generation fabrics. As always, Britain progresses effortlessly with the zeitgeist of today.

Bav Tailor, Founder and Conscious Creative at BAV TAiLOR

Our buyers and designers love British fabrics because of their qualities and designs. Our customer loves British fabrics because they are timeless. ‘Fashion’ is sometimes misunderstood as a result of ‘Trend’, but ‘Trend’ is just a part of the elements. True fashion is beyond Trend. We proudly propose our customer ‘the quality’ and ‘reliability’ and ‘culture’ of the production. And British textile and production has ‘it ‘.

Hirofumi Kurino, Co-founder and Senior adviser of United Arrows

Since I started Brora 27 years ago I’ve been passionate about using British mills. Indeed the inspiration for the business came from my parents involvement with a woollen mill in the village of Brora sadly no longer in existence.

The skills, dedication, heritage and sustainability that British woven cloth brings to our product is a key part of the Brora story and has become part of our DNA. Our customers truly appreciate this and look forward to what we offer with the turn of each fashion season.

Victoria Stapleton, founder and creative director of Brora

British mills have long been a stalwart of our business, particularly British Millerain bonded cotton and Hainsworth Wool. We choose the materials for their quality, provenance and of course because they’re best-in-class when manufacturing our range or long-lasting and highly functional outerwear.

Christopher Raeburn, Creative Director at RAEBURN

One thing we can always count on is the high quality fabrics that many British textile manufacturers produce. Each manufacturer also seems to have a unique character that they imprint in their fabrics, which we gladly inherit to help our products shine.”

Onye Anuna, co-founder of Gravalot

British textiles keep craft and a localised skill base, as well as its heritage, continuing, as well as giving designers based here the opportunity to use material that has travelled a shorter distance, and which has the potential to hold a lower carbon footprint.

Phoebe English, Designer at Phoebe English

We pride ourselves on the quality of our make and materials and simply will not compromise on anything but the best. Fortunately for us here at Private White V.C., the world’s best cottons, wools and cashmere are all woven within close proximity to our factory nestled in the heart of Manchester, the world’s first industrial city.

James Eden, Founder and CEO of Private White V.C

The backbone of my main collection is focused on using British manufacturers and British fabrics: I have a special love affair with fabrics like Harris Tweed, flannel and oilcloth. The British companies that have stood the test of time are individual and the best at what they do, producing fabrics that are authentic and have character. I’m completely fabric driven – you have to be to work with companies like Harris Tweed Hebrides, Fox Brothers and Halley Stevenson. They make fabric in a really beautiful way that you can pass on for generations.

Nigel Cabourn, founder of Nigel Cabourn

The reason why I like working with British fabrics is the heritage and the traditional way of making things brings a real point of difference. Most of the mills we work with and the ones still in operation in the UK are specialists, use traditional techniques and they produce very high quality products with a heritage you can’t find anywhere else.

Veronica Potocko, Fabric and Trims designer at Stella McCartney

I always believed that in order to create something new, one should respect tradition and history. Being inspired by tailoring that has such deep roots in England, I chose to work with British wools for their exquisite quality. I also believe that doing so supports and carries on a long-established heritage of the beautiful craft of cloth making.

Ester Kubisz, founder of Ester Kubisz

With British manufacturing running through my blood, I am passionate about the British textiles industry and preserving a skill set, which Britain was built on. I work closely with British heritage mills who have evolved hard wearing and practical fabrics to suit today’s customers and climate; like British Millerain, Abraham Moon and Harris Tweed.

For me, wool is one of the most versatile fabrics available with incredible natural qualities that can’t be matched. Locally sourced and sustainable, it offers today’s eco-conscious consumer a fully transparent production.”

Tom Glover, Owner at Peregrine / J. G. Glover & Co Ltd

Over the last 20 years, I have always worked with British Tweeds for our AW collections and Liberty prints and Irish Lines for SS collections. British textile has become part of my brand’s DNA, and what our fans seek out for in Misa Harada’s hats for their distinct character, colours, quality and authenticity.

Misa Harada, Founder of Misa Harada Millinery

We make some great traditional fabric in the UK, and recently we have seen some really special innovation within some of our established producers. At UW we work a lot with British Millerain, and Haley Stevenson on wax cottons and they both have some excellent new offerings. We are also always happy with work with amazing tweeds from the range at Harris Tweed, and recently working with Abraham Moon, while they have a rich history we are very excited by the developments of innovative blends they are now offering.

David Keyte, founder of Universal Works

From when my father Chris Blackmore created Chrysalis 35 years ago, his ethos has always been “British made from British cloth”. We have a long standing love affair with tweed woven in the British Isles. We are fortunate in Britain to have such wonderful mills such as Lovat, Mallalieus of Delph, J&S Taylor still producing the finest and most superior fabrics. The design, look, performance and durability of British woven fabrics ensures we are the world leader in this field. These glorious fabrics remain as our signature look for the Chrysalis brand to this day.

Charlotte Blackmore, Managing Director at Chrysalis England

UKFT’s British Textile Week is a digital showcase of the craftsmanship, imagination and innovation of the UK textile industry.

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