We have named our most exclusive Collection of fabrics Golden House to celebrate our heritage and connection with the tailoring trade in London. Golden House in Piccadilly was the heart of tailoring in the West End of London and where Alfred Brown had an office from the 1950s.
Golden House is our finest Collection of fabrics in a book and bunch format for our customers, large and small. It is Savile Row inspired and marks our long-standing association with fine tailoring. We market the Collection to merchants, tailors, distributors and luxury fashion brands. Two years following its launch, it is growing in strength and impact. The Golden House Collection comprises fabrics from our finest yarns in Super 100s and Super 120s. The fabrics have a luxurious feel and have the Woven in England name edge, which adds to its popularity in the bespoke market.
The Collection is fully stock supported, with next-day despatch. It is available from 35 metres and also in cut lengths. Weights are from 260gms/metre to 300gms/metre, and because they are finer and lighter, Golden House is suited to bespoke tailoring, ladies' tailoring and the export market.
We presented our new Spring Summer 2024 fabric ranges in February at the 36th Milano Unica show and Première Vision in Paris. Our new collection in Spring Summer weights for the global market goes from strength to strength and is well received.
With plenty of appointments in Milan, the team were kept busy with UK retail trade customers and returning customers from Japan, China and Korea. Visitor numbers are steadily getting back to where they were pre-covid. This is good news, and we welcome these renewed personal contacts. We were also pleased with the interest from new customers, and the signs are good to pursue new opportunities and partners. As the fallout from Brexit seems to have calmed down, the Alfred Brown brand is in an excellent position to entice our European customers with solid designs, depth in new ranges and a core of stock support fabrics.
At Première Vision, it was notable that some of the UK mills were not showing, preferring to concentrate on the Autumn Winter show in July. With 5 Alfred Brown fabrics on display in the UKFT trend forum, we had plenty of visitors to our stand and a lot of interest in our new Spring Summer offer. The Paris show is an excellent opportunity to meet new brands and designers who need to work with smaller minimum order quantities. Our unique selling point here is our wide stock support ranges and quick delivery.
New designs in key plain weave fabrics 635, 735HL, 943 and955 were well received, as well as our English Linen and Tropical Worsted ranges. Customers still favour semi-plains, small neat designs and Prince of Wales style checks. The colour palette is fresh in sorbet shades and clean neutrals. We were delighted by a comment from the buyer of designer brand Paul Smith, ‘the best Alfred Brown range yet!’
We are delighted to be providing the fabric for two of the suits designed by Marks and Spencer for the England team in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
M&S are the official tailor to the England Team and the UK retailer has created an extensive formal and informal wear collection, which supporters can also buy in selected stores and online under the label M&S X England. The rich, all wool navy-blue plain weave is an Alfred Brown classic and the three piece looks great with the sleek tailored single-breasted jacket. In contrast a twist yarn brings life and texture to the subtle micro suiting design of the double-breasted and single-breasted suit, also available to buy.
The story of our involvement with Marks and Spencer and the England World Cup suit goes back to the tournament in South Africa in 2010. This campaign saw the grey birsdeye design take centre stage, with David Beckham turning heads on the side lines in the full-blown three-piece suit. For the 2014 World Cup in Brazil the team wore a cool metallic grey wool mix, with mohair for added style. Most recently in2018, it was manager Gareth Southgate in the “waist coat” shot which took the press by storm and earned him sartorial fame during the last campaign.
The opportunity for the company and employees of Alfred Brown to be involved in such a high-profile sporting event is relished and followed with passion. The Design and production of the world cup cloth begins way in advance of the event, and the pride it brings continues long after the final.
Good luck to the England Team!
Newly installed is our Gir- O-Matic (GOM) Sectional Warping Machine. Since weaving many more samples for our customers and an increase in shorter runs we decided to invest in new machinery to reduce waste and improve productivity. The Karl Meyer Gom Sectional Warper allows us to achieve both these goals.
We were delighted to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to the mill in June. HRH The Princess Royal arrived on 15th June with a party of VIPS and was shown around the mill. The tour included every aspect of production and inspection of a special woven edge fabric in honour of her visit.
HRH The Princess Royal engaged enthusiastically with everyone in the workforce and was keen to understand the production process. As well as the intricacies of weaving, perching and mending she spent time looking at a number of uniforms of the Royal Household and the World Cup 2018 England suit which are made from Alfred Brown fabric.
Her warmth and eagerness to get to know the business and its people was very apparent. Her tour concluded with the unveiling of a plaque in commemoration of this very special mill visit.
