William Halstead Blue Heritage Plaque Unveiled

Whilst we are constantly looking to the future, new collections, the next sales trip, new cloth developments; we also appreciate our unique position in the continuum of British textile industrial achievement, represented by the span of time that we have been manufacturing in the same location for over 150 years. Arguably there were bigger factories, more recognised names in the past; however the fact that we have maintained continuity of textile weaving on the same site from the boom time of the industrial revolution to the present day; spearheading the future of textiles in Bradford is to be celebrated. As part of the celebration of our unique place in contemporary British textiles we are proud to announce the recent unveiling of a blue textile heritage plaque to our founder William Halstead. As a tribute to William Halstead and his entrepreneurship during a time of unprecedented opportunity in Bradford when those with bravery and vision could make huge leaps in upward mobility, we reproduce here a eulogy at the time of his death. “Bradford has lost a citizen who has played a prominent part in the spheres of industry and public life by the death of Wm Halstead, Head of the […]

Woolmark focus on manufacturing at Luxury Fabrics

Woolmark got an insight into the manufacture and production of Luxury Fabrics at our Mill in Bradford, West Yorkshire – Stanley Mills. Read what David Gallimore, our Managing Director had to say. “Now that is the sound of a very, very busy weaving schedule,” says David Gallimore, the managing director of The Luxury Fabrics Group, as he flings open the door of what is effectively the Bradford company’s engine room, causing a tsunami of sound like the clackity-clacking of a thousand old-fashioned typewriters to wash over those present. “Nearly all the machines are running as this is a particularly busy time in terms of batches of cloth going to the Middle-East, which is our third biggest market after Italy and Japan.” It’s no surprise that the machinery in these cavernous rooms – much of it, incidentally, made by former German warplane manufacturer Dornier – is in overdrive throughout Luxury Fabrics’ 6am-10pm operating schedule, given how many brands, all boasting impressive heritage and cache, operate under its umbrella. The John Foster Brand, founded in 1819, took plaudits for its alpaca and mohair fabrics at the Great Exhibition of 1851, while William Halstead, which moved here in 1877, is a weaver of […]

Meet our new Escorial Sales Director

We are pleased to welcome our latest team member, introducing Robert McQuillan our new Escorial Sales Director. 1. How long have you been working in the Textile industry? The start of my career within the textile industry began at a young age where I worked for a large mill in Bradford, coinciding with my academic studies of achieving a BTech in Textile Design. Throughout the past 32 years within textiles, I have developed within many areas of the industry; from designing of fabrics, to brand sales director, the passion for ‘made in England’ products remain, with the same strong ethos. 2. What are you looking forward to the most about working with our team for Escorial? I am looking forward to working for the brand itself, I have been aware of Escorial from the beginning and believe it is developing into a fantastic, iconic brand. It is an honour to be working with such a great team, and an exclusive brand that I am eager to be globally promoting and offering such luxurious and unique products. 3. What future plans do you see for the Escorial brand? I see the brand building from strength to strength and becoming globally recognized […]

Winner of International Woolmark Prize | Matthew Miller

We would like to congratulate the very talented Matthew Miller on winning the menswear International Woolmark Prize for 2017/18, which was announced on the opening day of Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence, Italy. Thank you for using William Halstead fabric to create your winning designs and we wish you every success in your design career and future. Well done once again. *Image by The Woolmark Company

V.I.P. Guests visit Luxury Fabrics

Luxury Fabrics welcomed a group of V.I.P. guests from London: Chris Moodo, David Evans, Jamie Ferguson, Jonathan Edwards, Hannah Rigby, James Girdwood and Daisy Knatchbull. The fabric enthusiasts, from all walks of life: from blogging about style, fabrics and tailoring, a photographer who captures street style tailoring of luxurious fabrics to a 3rd year fashion design student who is setting up their own business upon graduating visited the mill in Bradford, West Yorkshire – Home to the Luxury Fabrics group (Charles Clayton, Escorial Wool, John Foster, Kynoch, Standeven and William Halstead) and Stanley Mills Weavers. David Gallimore – Managing Director of Luxury Fabrics presented our guests with a detailed tour of the mill describing each production process while seeing the machines in action along the way. Everyone at Luxury Fabrics had a fabulous day meeting our guests and telling our stories of the rich British heritage, we look forward to welcoming you back again soon. Thank you all for coming!        

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