Weaving a lasting legacy.

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Gervais Craig
5 years ago
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Yorkshire England T: +44 1274 655 900 F: +44 1274

1 Weaving INSPIRATION John Foster Black Dyke House Stanley Mills Edward Street Bradford BD4 9RS West Yorkshire England T: F: E:

worsted/mohair fabrics for almost 200 years.

Bradford. The company built houses, the village hall and leisure facilities to ensure the well-being of its highly skilled workforce.

Though no longer based at Black Dyke Mills, the cultural legacy is continued to this day through the world famous Black Dyke Band which John Foster

2 Weaving a lasting legacy. John Foster is, historically and culturally, much more significant than just being the story of a company renowned for weaving quality worsted and worsted/mohair fabrics for almost 200 years. It is the story of a textile entrepreneur and his family business that built an entire community around its famous Black Dyke Mills in Queensbury, near Bradford. The company built houses, the village hall and leisure facilities to ensure the well-being of its highly skilled workforce. Always an innovator, John Foster took first prize for alpaca and mohair fabrics and the gold medal for yarns at the Great Exhibition in Though no longer based at Black Dyke Mills, the cultural legacy is continued to this day through the world famous Black Dyke Band which John Foster himself, a talented French horn player, was a member of from 1855 even dressing the band in uniforms made from the company s own fine worsted fabrics. The sense of artistry, quality and true sense of belonging to the area continues today with the dedication to producing some of the finest fabrics in the world from Stanley Mills, our state-of-theart weaving and cloth production facility in Bradford, England. John Foster Portrait John Foster

This is what the French winemakers call terroir.

This concept of terroir could equally be applied to the area surrounding Bradford, that has been the home to John Foster for nearly

The rugged, hilly landscape is perfect for raising sheep and the water that flows through the millstone grit of the Yorkshire Dales is

Generation after generation of craftsmen who have been born and raised in this area, have honed the traditional weaving skills,

3 From the landscape comes the cloth. Every landscape bestows its own special characteristics on the people and the products that come from it. This is what the French winemakers call terroir. So it is not by accident that some of the world s finest craftsmen in weaving and cloth manufacturing are still based in Yorkshire. This concept of terroir could equally be applied to the area surrounding Bradford, that has been the home to John Foster for nearly 200 years. The rugged, hilly landscape is perfect for raising sheep and the water that flows through the millstone grit of the Yorkshire Dales is the softest in the country and a vital part of the finishing of the fine fabric. Generation after generation of craftsmen who have been born and raised in this area, have honed the traditional weaving skills, learned in the time of John Foster himself, many of which are still used to this day. These skills have been further developed by the introduction of new yarns and the latest weaving techniques, added to the innovative finishing skills developed by our strategic partner WT Johnson, world leader in the finishing of worsted and mohair fabrics, to create high performance and luxurious fabrics to satisfy the varied demands of today s consumers. Made in England by John Foster is a label of the highest quality of worsted and mohair fabrics.

which are based on heritage and tradition,

We design and produce two collections each year, for

The process begins with our creative team working

the fibres, colourways and finishes that are in tune

experience we understand what our customers want, in

colour, design, weaves, handle and drape that are

Our collections for men and women are available with

resistant finishes to the ultimate suiting finish,

by WT Johnson and used in some of the world s finest

John Foster has six supported ranges consisting of

worsted, Super 200 s worsted and cashmere, summer

4 Our distinctive collections. The story continues with our annual collections, which are based on heritage and tradition, interwoven with the latest trends and ideas. We design and produce two collections each year, for Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer. The process begins with our creative team working with the major trend organisations to help select the fibres, colourways and finishes that are in tune with the world s leading fashion brands, design houses and world famous tailors. There is however, no substitute for instinct and experience we understand what our customers want, in order to satisfy their own customers in terms of colour, design, weaves, handle and drape that are paramount in the selection of our final collection. Our collections for men and women are available with a range of finishes to match all tailoring and customer requirements. From highly technical, antibacterial and water resistant finishes to the ultimate suiting finish, London Shrunk: a technique that has been perfected by WT Johnson and used in some of the world s finest tailoring for 100 years. John Foster has six supported ranges consisting of Super 120 s worsted and cashmere, Super 150 s worsted, Super 200 s worsted and cashmere, summer kid mohair and Super 120 s worsted, black formal wear, and the Escorial collection. For our Spring/Summer collection worsted wool is blended with mohair, silk and linen with weights from 220 to 280 grammes. Our Autumn/Winter collection is made from fine micron wools blended with cashmere and other noble fibres with weights from 270 to 330 grammes.

production of fine quality worsted fabric.

people from this region of Yorkshire that

are the warp and weft of our business and

travels the world working closely with our

create successful collections each season.

woven together to create the John Foster

5 Generations woven together. By the nineteenth century, John Foster s hometown of Bradford was known as Wool City such was its reputation for the production of fine quality worsted fabric. The people of this area are textile people and the weaving skills that produce the cloth have been passed down through the generations. There is something in the blood of the people from this region of Yorkshire that gives them the instinctive feel for fine fabric. At our Stanley Mills manufacturing site we are fortunate to have some of the most talented people in the world; people that are the warp and weft of our business and who live and breathe worsted fabric. We have a highly knowledgeable and experienced customer service team that constantly travels the world working closely with our customers to understand their individual requirements. This and our understanding of consumer trends provides key influences to our talented designers in order for them to create successful collections each season. Design, production and sales harmoniously woven together to create the John Foster company of today. David Gallimore: Managing Director Matthew Simpson: Sales Director Sam Hellewell: Head of Design The John Foster family takes great pride in producing the finest fabrics in the world.

Our manufacturing facilities lead the world.

innovation and investment, which is why since 2009 John Foster has been a

.. SIL Holdings Limited are a specialist in sourcing the highest quality

Also within the group are a specialist dyer and cloth finisher and a state

This means that John Foster has access to the finest quality raw materials

6 Our manufacturing facilities lead the world. Keeping pace with the needs of today s fabric market requires constant innovation and investment, which is why since 2009 John Foster has been a member of the leading textile group in the United Kingdom... SIL Holdings Limited are a specialist in sourcing the highest quality wool, mohair, and cashmere fibre. Also within the group are a specialist dyer and cloth finisher and a state of the art weaving operation. This means that John Foster has access to the finest quality raw materials and the most innovative manufacturing and finishing capabilities in the United Kingdom. This allows us to concentrate on leveraging the history and heritage within the John Foster brand whilst making sure it is relevant to the needs of a highly discerning international market. Top left: Dornier weaving machine Bottom left: Selvedge yarn Centre: Super 150 s wool in production Right: Preparation of Hattersley Jacquard pattern loom Left: Warp preparation TOP RIGHT: Dornier weaving machine BOTTOM RIGHT: Warping

Looking to the future With so much heritage and tradition at the heart of our company, it is

However if we are to do justice to the company that still bears the John Foster name, we have

world s most talented and cutting edge designers, manufacturers and tailors.

7 Looking to the future With so much heritage and tradition at the heart of our company, it is easy to become misty-eyed about the past. However if we are to do justice to the company that still bears the John Foster name, we have to constantly be looking for ways to improve and innovate through raw materials, weaving techniques and the use of finishing. We will continue to invest in design to make sure that our collections are attractive to the world s most talented and cutting edge designers, manufacturers and tailors. And within the established weaves of panama, prunelle and twill we will continue to explore the possibilities of weave effects and the use of decoration yarns for stripes and checks, forever pushing the limits of what can be achieved.

The future of the industry requires partnerships

tailors to offer the consumer what they want, rest

8 The future of the industry requires partnerships between the cloth manufacturers, designers and tailors to offer the consumer what they want, rest assured that John Foster will be woven into the very heart of that future. Super 150 s Worsted fabric finished by WT Johnson with the London Shrunk finish.

B R I T I S H A L P A C A F A S H I O N C O M P A N Y

OUR STORY B R I T I S H A L P A C A F A S H I O N C O M P A N Y We design and make our cloth from the best of British Alpaca. We use the best of British Mills that have a heritage and tradition of weaving