HRH The Princess Royal visited long-standing Nottingham lace knitwear manufacturer G.H.Hurt & Son on 6 February 2024, in her role as president of UK Fashion & Textile Association (UKFT).

Currently employing 12 people, G.H.Hurt & Son was established in 1912 and continues a local Nottingham tradition, designing and making knitted lace pieces with both a baby knitwear collection and an adult knitwear collection.

In recent years G.H.Hurt & Son has succeeded in growing international markets and now exports around two thirds of everything it makes at its Nottingham-based shawl factory. The company said it is proud to export a little bit of Nottingham, once piece of knitted lace at a time.

The Princess Royal was shown how G.H.Hurt & Son make their exquisite knitted lace pieces. It takes at least eight pairs of artisan skilled hands and up to two days to make each lace knitted shawl. These pieces are then sold onwards, either direct to global consumers online or wholesale, to retailers large and small all around the world.

The firms unique collection of historic Handframes were also on display, with two working Handframes being demonstrated by their staff and also a volunteer from the Ruddington Framework Knitters Museum.

Towards the end of the Factory tour, The Princess Royal unveiled a commemorative plague, to mark the visit to the shawl factory and then Her Royal Highness was invited to present a long service award to Reg Robbins, Head Mechanic, for 53 years continual service with G.H.Hurt & Son.

Director Gillian Taylor said:

“We were delighted and honoured to receive The Princess Royal here at our shawl factory. It is also a brilliant reward for the staff, as our beautiful lace knitwear depends on their unique skills and hard work.

“We have always been a creative and innovative business. Our main aim in more recent years has been to continue to innovate and develop international markets.

“Our current business focus is to innovate and continue to develop our knitwear collections. Keeping our customers engaged and interested in what we do. Also, to pursue a simple strategy of developing a number of key international markets. The UKFT has been very active, working with us and supporting our international development.

“We have just returned from the prestigious Pitti Bimbo childrenswear trade show, in Italy, which is visited by trade buyers from all around the world. Next week, we are exhibiting at Playtime NY, another childrenswear trade show in New York city, to meet retail buyers from the USA and Canada.

“As a business, we make an effort to focus and do a small number of things well. I think that’s probably part of our success too.

“It goes without saying, we are so proud to be a part of Nottingham. We are passionate to continue the local artisan skills of Handframe knitting and knitted lace.

“It was such a pleasure to share all these things with The Princess Royal.”