VA N N E RS WOVEN IN ENGLAND SINCE 1740
From the ‘Vanners Silks Ltd’ Company Brochure, published 1929. “We make a direct appeal to the trade, in the belief that a working combination of the oldest and newest in our industry should be found to provide the trade with the finest materials manufactured in the best possible way by the best known means – both old and new. Of the result there can be no doubt. Vanners will meet fair competition in every way; and, as in the past, with a humble certainty of success. Yet it is not to these words that the firm most confidently appeals, but to their silks and skills. These will speak, indeed already have spoken, for themselves.”
INTRODUCTION Vanners is a name which has been pre-eminent in silk weaving and accessories manufacturing for over 250 years. Renowned for our exceptional quality and excellent service, we are a dynamic, forward looking business. At the same time, we remain committed to the craftsmanship and attention to detail that have been the hallmarks of our company throughout its long and illustrious history. Whether designing bespoke fabrics for the neckwear, couture, furnishing or bridal markets, at Vanners we pride ourselves on seamlessly integrating tradition and innovation. We also work hard to ensure that all our customers, large and small, receive attentive, personalised service. We continually work to ensure Vanners is the supplier you can rely on for creativity, quality and timely delivery. Our strategy is simple – to create products which set the standard in English elegance. www.vanners.com
DE S IG N Eye-catching design has always been at the heart of the Vanners ethos. Whether recreating a period pattern from our archives or bringing a client’s original artwork to life, we utilise our bespoke CAD/CAM and Digital Loom Networking technology to ensure an accurate rendition within the large selection of jacquard repeats available. We understand that in today’s fast moving commercial world, time is of the essence. Our expert design team can swiftly create new jacquard designs and weave strike offs or samples to meet any project timescales. We see the design and manufacturing process as a partnership with the customer. We don’t just supply, we collaborate, listening to your needs, proposing ideas and conceiving solutions. Our attention to detail produces stunning results in everything from the simplest dot design to the most complex paisley pattern. The terms ‘flexible’ and ‘bespoke’ perfectly sum up our design culture. By choosing Vanners, you can achieve a unique look that guarantees exclusivity to your collections.
Q UA L I T Y At Vanners we never compromise on quality. Our modern, lean production methods are set in the context of an enduring commitment to the craftsmanship and attention to detail that make our products simply the finest available. Having sourced our raw materials from the best producers worldwide, we take a robust approach to quality control. We carefully monitor every stage of the production cycle to ensure we achieve first class results every time. To maintain our exacting standards, we continually invest in the latest technology to create state-of-the-art dyeing, weaving and product manufacturing operations, all at our Sudbury location. We are also committed to reducing the impact our operations have on the environment. We constantly review this, and have an ongoing programme designed to minimize this impact. Our dyehouse utilizes diamond / electrolysis technology to render effluent safe and ‘green’.
S E RV IC E Flexibility is one of our key bywords. Our services are truly bespoke at every level, and whatever the brief, we can provide exactly the right product to suit your needs. We start by taking the time to understand your objectives, and our team will work closely with you to produce an end result that meets, and hopefully exceeds, your expectations. We are expert at translating design concepts into samples and providing high quality design proofs to meet even the tightest deadlines. In addition, we have streamlined our manufacturing systems to deliver fast turnaround without compromising quality. Therefore, we can produce orders and reorders quickly and efficiently. Everyone at Vanners is committed to the highest standards of service. We are passionate about what we do and about achieving optimum levels of satisfaction for every one of our valued customers.
A RC H I V E Thanks to our long heritage in the silk industry, we have a unique archive, comprising over 250,000 woven designs, and incorporating the famous David Evans Archive, an extraordinary resource of over 25,000 print designs. Both archives clearly show the ebb and flow of trends over the last hundred years, providing a fascinating record of evolution in design and colour usage. This is the embryo from which unique collections are born. These intricate designs can always be accurately recreated in our design department in either CAD or Jacquard format, from which they are reanimated to form the basis of some of the world’s finest collections. Our archives provide exciting and unlimited scope for design inspiration – the perfect springboard from which to launch a new season.
FA BR IC S We have been weaving silk since before the Napoleonic wars; it is with this heritage and our current drive for perfection that we offer the finest silk fabrics available. We use:
• our special 7 ply ‘pure dye’ mulberry silk in the weft, • exclusive pure dye ‘350 End’ warps that offer the most intricate detail; • over 360 weft and 20 warp colours - bespoke dyeing is also available; • rich mixes of linens, cottons, cashmeres and wools, as well as technical and fancy yarns; • finishes that flatter our diverse weave constructions & qualities.
These are all prepared, dyed and woven in-house, giving us complete control over quality at every stage. ‘Pure Dye’ means that no artificial additives have been added to the warp or weft yarn to weight the fabric. The wholly pure combination gives unsurpassed quality, handle and balance.
N E C K W E A R It was over a century ago that Vanners began weaving silk fabrics for the newly fashionable necktie, which had evolved from the stock or cravat. Throughout the twentieth century we have remained Europe’s most prestigious silk weaver for neckties. In addition to producing high quality silk fabric for neckties, we also supply a range of distinctive finished products, including handmade neckties, 7 folds, scarves, pocket squares, bow ties, ascots and cummerbunds. Our vertical in house operation allows us to service the single retail outlet all the way through to the world’s leading designer brands with the same level of quality, service and design. neckwear@vanners.com | scarves@vanners.com
C O U T U R E At Vanners we have been weaving luxurious fabrics for men’s and women’s apparel and accessories since 1740. We have developed a wide range of jacquard constructions in conjunction with some of the world’s top fabric designers. We now offer a wide range of silk, silk/linen, silk/ cotton, and designs featuring fancy, metallic and technical yarns that lend themselves to contemporary fashion. As well as our seasonal range, we also offer the facility to work directly with our designers to create exclusive designs. Because we are a vertical operation, we can provide sampling very quickly, and offer small minimum runs. For special projects, our bespoke service enables us to offer varying degrees of price structure for larger production runs. couture@vanners.com
F U R N I S H I NG Our distinctive Furnishing collections draw on the expertise of leading interior textile designers, making Vanners the ideal choice whatever the scale and nature of your project. Our fabrics range from updated classics to contemporary statement pieces, and are ideal for a variety of interior applications. To complement our 100% silk fabrics, we produce a number of mixes such as silk/linen and silk/cotton. We also offer the opportunity to work directly with our designers on bespoke ranges, using our knowledge and flair at each stage of the process to ensure the perfect result. Our extensive design library provides the ideal starting point from which to create a collection of beautiful and exclusive fabrics. Of course, our customers also benefit from low minimum runs, as well as a fast turnaround. furnishing@vanners.com
BR I D A L Our couture and fashion collection includes a large range of designs aimed at the bridal and groom-wear market. This is such an important sector that we have created a dedicated department to provide specialist services to customers. Our bridal collection features beautiful jacquard fabrics woven in soft pastels and pearly-whites. For grooms we offer sumptuous satins and fancy jacquards, either as fabric or made-up ties and cravats. Our design team can create an exclusive range of designs, coloured to a precise palette to match other fabrics. We can develop woven strike-offs from design concepts quickly and efficiently, and have low minimum requirements for production in either fabric or products. bridal@vanners.com
C U F F L I N K S Cufflinks are reputed to have first appeared in the early seventeenth century as an alternative to ribbons and lace. Initially affordable only by the wealthy, they soon evolved into an essential accessory for gentlemen, becoming ever more widely available in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Today they represent a key accessory for the modern, well-dressed man, and are a natural complement to neckties, giving a touch of luxury and panache to a tailored shirt. At Vanners we design and manufacture a wide range of cufflinks and other metal accessories, such as shirt stud sets, tie slides, stick-pins, badges and bill folds. Vanners’ comprehensive range incorporates base metals, hall-marked sterling silver with gold & rhodium plating options using high quality enamels, precious stones, silk yarn and miniature prints. Along with our collection, we offer a bespoke design service to tailor the product to your own specific requirements. cufflinks@vanners.com
C OR P OR AT E We are an experienced provider of promotional/ corporate merchandise and corporate gift solutions. We offer a complete service, from concept and design through to production and delivery. Several of our products, in particular neckties, scarves, cufflinks, badges and small leather goods, are natural products as corporate gifts. We can include your company logo, whether discreetly on a label, or proudly emblazoned up-front. Our design team can draw on product development resources from all areas of our business to provide high quality and distinctive corporate merchandise. For reasonable quantities this can even extend to special gift packaging, such as bespoke cufflink boxes. corporate@vanners.com
H I S TORY After the passing of the Spitalfields Act of 1774, which fixed wage rates in London and abolished the tariffs on imported silks, the firm of Vanners moved its silk yarn processing and weaving operations to Sudbury and Haverhill in the county of Suffolk. The originators of the Company, The Vanners Brothers, were descended from French Huguenots. By virtue of the highly skilled weavers from the then declining local wool industry, and from the latest jacquard production technology, Suffolk became a major hub of the UK silk industry, and by the turn of the nineteenth century silk weaving was thriving throughout the county. Jacquard looms were widely used in the 1800s and the first power looms were introduced at our mill in Sudbury around 1900, the very same premises we occupy today. The ownership of the Company has today been placed firmly into the hands of its management team; our philosophy is to promote the long-term health of the company and all who work in it. To achieve that goal, we put customer service and product quality at the very top of our agenda.
Va n n ers Gregory Mills, Weavers Lane, Sudbury Suffolk, CO10 1BB, United Kingdom T: +44 (0)1787 372 396 F: +44 (0)1787 310 674 neckwear@vanners.com scarves@vanners.com couture@vanners.com bridal@vanners.com furnishings@vanners.com cufflinks@vanners.com corporate@vanners.com www.Vanners.com
Van n ers
U S A
George Shapiro Associates, Showroom 16D 445 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA T: + 1 516 374 5312 F: + 1 516 295 4156 E: kshapiro@vanners.com