A Century of Quality
A Century of Quality FOREWORD We have come a long way since 1915. This is the story of a Yorkshire textile mill - a family business spanning five generations who’s proud heritage makes us what we are today.
Alfred Brown Jnr Chairman
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Contents Early history War and peace Reviving fortunes Four generations Moving forward New century Onwards
5-7 8 - 15 16 - 19 20 - 23 24 - 31 32 - 35 36 - 46
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Brown & Sons (Bramley) Ltd mill workers in 1915
Early history
1915 TO 1939 The story of Alfred Brown Ltd actually began with founder Herbert Brown of Moortown, Leeds. Primarily a retailing man, Herbert’s first foray into business was as an outfitter and pawnbroker, but like many visionary businessmen at the time he saw and seized upon the tremendous opportunity in textiles. In 1915, Herbert found a site in Bramley, Leeds, employed Mr W Foster as mill manager and the company was run for a few years by George and Charles Brown – Herbert’s two sons from his first marriage. Herbert went on to marry again and had five more children: Alfred, Stanley, Mavis, Herbert and Bobby. Initially, things didn’t run as smoothly as he’d have wished. Herbert encountered fundamental problems with the original building, which meant it wasn’t structurally suitable for weaving. Chiefly, it couldn’t withstand the vibrations caused by the looms and, being so tall, the building was also difficult to heat. So a brand-new weaving shed and office had to be built on-site behind the original building before production could commence.
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CHALLENGING TIMES The company had only just found its feet when the 1920s slump bit hard. Like many businesses at that difficult time, Brown & Sons was hit financially and lost a great deal of money. Bankruptcy in those days carried considerable stigma, particularly for someone of Herbert Brown’s political stature. He was a well-known and influential Liberal in local politics, Deputy Lord Mayor of Leeds and also stood for parliament. With so much at stake, he sought help from his eldest son, Alfred Snr, from his second marriage. Herbert asked Alfred Snr to leave his job at Sir James Hill – a highly respected firm of topmakers in Bradford, to join the family business and help pull the firm back from the brink of bankruptcy. Alfred Snr’s arrival was the catalyst for other moves, with Herbert’s second son Stanley following Alfred Snr into the business whilst Charles and George returned to their original retailing business of Herbert Brown Outfitters & Pawnbrokers. In these early years, the mill produced heavy-duty fabrics for the police, fire brigade and military. Manufacturing heavyweight fabrics in those days was a lengthy process, in fact, it would take up to a week to produce a standard piece of 70 yards. Today, the same piece of fabric can be woven in just six hours. 6
Times were especially hard and there wasn’t enough money to finance the yarn. So, of their 41 looms, the company only ran six on their own behalf and the remaining looms were run on a commission basis for other worsted manufacturers. Alfred Snr even had to visit the bank manager each week to confirm he could draw wages to pay his workforce. In those days, the unspoken rule was that worsted manufacturers sold to woollen merchants, not direct to tailors. To simply survive and move on unwanted stock, Alfred Snr bravely and controversially dealt direct with tailors and many woollen merchants then refused to trade with him. Desperate times sometimes require desperate measures. In a management restructure, the running of the business was then divided equally between the two brothers whilst Alfred Snr became Managing Director with responsibility for buying the yarn and selling the manufactured cloth. The day-to-day running of the mill itself was entrusted to Stanley. Despite difficult trading conditions, the family business of Brown & Sons made steady progress for almost two decades until war broke out in 1939. Alfred Brown Snr (in Masonic Regalia)
HERBERT BROWN
COMPANY INAUGURATION On 2 July 1915, Brown & Sons (Bramley) Ltd was inaugurated in Leeds by its founder Herbert Brown, George Brown, W. Foster, accountant Thomas Coombs and solicitor E.H Middleton. Brown & Sons (Bramley) Ltd is today a subsidiary of Alfred Brown (Worsted Mills) Ltd.
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War and peace 8
1940 TO 1959
When the Second World War raged in the early 1940s, millions of forces’ uniforms were desperately needed; weaving was considered an essential job for the war effort. Brown & Sons’ weaving production therefore switched exclusively to fulfilling army, navy and RAF contracts. In addition, the original building that, at the time, wasn’t being used, was requisitioned by the Ministry of Defence for the manufacture of shell cases. In 1945 the war was won, however, despite victory, austerity measures included a special war tax called ‘Excess Profit Tax’ that meant a company could only retain small profits. As the mill was still running on the original inefficient and unproductive looms from 1915, hardly any profit was being made. It was therefore decided that once the MOD had no further use for the building, it would be sold. In 1949 Peter, Stanley’s son, joined the company helping his father with loom planning and Alfred with sales.
THE RED ARROWS FLY OUR FLAG Alfred Brown provided the navy twill for blazers for the crew of the Red Arrows – the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team. Great British excellence and precision combined.
The sale of the building may have been the catalyst but it was about this time that Alfred Snr and Stanley decided to take some money out of the company. Stanley invested his share in a farm and became a weekend farmer. Alfred Snr saw potential elsewhere and decided to set up a new business with his son Alfred Jnr. This new company was set up in 1952 and was called Alfred Brown (Worsted Mills) Ltd, it was run from the top floor of 136 Sunbridge Road, Bradford. Alfred Brown Snr 9
GOING FOR A BURTON Multiple retailer Montague Burton had the largest clothing factory in the world. Situated on Hudson Road in Leeds, the centre of Britain’s textile industry at the time. Employing 10,000 on the site and producing over 30,000 suits a week – they were Alfred Brown’s biggest customer.
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This new enterprise had no looms, just a mending department that mended fabric on commission for other companies in the trade, primarily Brown & Sons and JJL & C Peate Ltd. The other arm of the business sold fabric to clothiers and merchants, most importantly Burtons. The fabric was woven on commission by Brown & Sons and then mended at 136 Sunbridge Road before being sent to the finishers. Alfred Jnr ran this operation under the watchful eye of his father who was instrumental in securing the sales. Their business partnership proved to be very successful and it soon became clear that Alfred Snr was the real businessman of the company. Eventually, with this division of interest, Brown & Sons started to loose money and eventually the Bank insisted that Alfred Snr took over the business. In 1956, Stanley was bought out and Brown and Sons (Bramley) Ltd became a production subsidiary for
nr of Alfred S e success th n o ilt u b d Jnr fficiency d and Alfre tput and e Peter, Davi proved ou im r e h rt y and fu and Stanle
Alfred Brown (Worsted Mills) Ltd which was the sales arm of the business. This was a milestone in the history of the family business and one that would in time secure the financial future of the mill. Three years later in 1959, Alfred Snr’s second son David was welcomed into the business. Sharing Alfred’s passion for weaving, he was primarily charged with looking after and improving Brown & Sons’ weaving operation. Later, David would also take control of design, which proved essential to the long-term success of the business.
Through our long association with Herbert Liveries we have supplied fabric to many of London’s most prestigious hotels. These historic hotels were frequented by many famous Hollywood film stars, politicians and royalty.
CLOTHING THE SMARTEST LONDON HOTELS
Specifically, we supplied The Dorchester Hotel with a plain green serge to clothe their doormen and front staff. We also provided a navy serge for similar positions at the Claridge’s Hotel as well as beige serge for front staff and porters of the Berkeley Hotel. Today, we continue to take great pride in supplying corporate wear to many of London’s top hotels. 11
LUXURY FABRIC FIT FOR THE QUEEN MARY After the Second World War, Alfred Brown fabric was used to make uniforms for the bellboys serving on the Cunard Line’s RMS Queen Mary. Considered the epitome of luxury ocean travel, the liner dominated the transatlantic passenger service until the dawn of the jet age in the late 1950s.
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Early Brown and Sons (Bramley) Ltd letterhead, the pen and ink illustration shows the original mill building as it would have looked when it was first built in 1915
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Breaking into London Whilst the majority of woven cloth at the time was produced in the North of England, the most prestigious customers, with an appetite for the highest-quality fabrics, were stationed in London. To achieve a firm foothold in this market, the company needed a presence in the nation’s capital. Sales in London took off soon after the Second World War. Despite not actually having an office in London, Mr Herbert Stock who lived in Essex, travelled into London to visit clients and secure impressive sales. After his retirement, Mr David Buxton was appointed London agent and operated from his office at 321
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS TO MASTERS GOLF WINNERS
Golden House, Great Pulteney Street. He was assisted by Mr Clifford Hall who went on to be our sole agent from 1956 when Mr Buxton retired. Now, the company has its own dedicated salesperson, David Lambert, with an office in Regent Street, London.
The Irish Lights – we wove the blue serge uniform for their lighthouse keepers. The Salvation Army – we supplied their well-known blue navy twill fabric for many years that was a 65/35 wool rich blend. The Masters Golf – we provided the green twill fabric for the blazers worn by players of the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, USA.
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REVIVING FORTUNES
1960 TO 1979
Technology and automation can make massive improvements on efficiency, especially in the weaving industry. Modern looms are absolutely vital if you’re to continue to produce high-quality fabrics at a genuinely competitive price.
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Back in 1915, the company had 41 Hattersley weft mixing looms that ran at 100 revolutions, or ‘picks’, a minute. Each loom was capable of producing approximately 70 yards of fabric per week. What held Alfred Brown back though was the fact that all production relied on these looms right up until the 1950s. If the business was to prosper, new modern looms were desperately needed.
Investment in loom technology continued apace in the 1960s with the company purchasing brand-new looms from Saurer; the first four being 4x4 colour looms. This was followed in the 1970s with another four Saurer double looms, with rapier-fed weft insertion instead of shuttles. Running these highly efficient new looms, the weaving shed’s production rapidly increased.
It was around this time that Alfred Jnr’s father-in-law, Mr Andrew Young, who was Managing Director at the woollen mill JJL & C Peate Ltd, Nunroyd Mills, Guiseley, sold the company eight Saurer automatic looms. They had been bought as a trial for W.C. Forrest, part of the West Riding Woollen & Worsted Company, but turned out to be unsuitable for them as the ‘perns' were too small. They did, however, prove to be a great stepping stone for Alfred Brown. This was the start of the company’s manufacturing revival.
Towards the end of the 1970s, we purchased the first textile computer system to be imported into the UK. Produced by Zellweger Uster of Switzerland, the system monitored everything from the speed of the machine to warp and weft stoppages. Problems with looms were immediately dealt with resulting in impressive improvements in efficiency.
A year later, David Brown acquired a further 16 second-hand looms from Sunnyside Weaving Company, a subsidiary of cotton weaving giants Tootal Broadhirst & Lea.
The purchase of cutting-edge technology continued in the late 1970s and early 1980s with new Saurer Diederich rapier looms replacing the old Saurer models. The rapier system not only saved the cost of winding weft bobbins for the shuttles, it greatly increased weaving speeds, so much so, by 1979 the mill was producing one million metres of cloth a year.
George Moss on a Saurer shuttle loom
SOMETIMES YOU NEED A LITTLE LUCK
In July 1972, Yorkshire was hit by a freak tropical storm. The sky in Bramley turned black and the mill yard was covered three inches thick in hail stones the size of golf balls. Filling the valley gutters on the mill roof, heat from the machinery melted the hailstones and huge cascades of water poured into the weaving shed flooding the entire floor. Luck was on the company’s side as the waterfalls came down between the machines, narrowly missing the looms and averting a costly disaster. Water was simply swept out of the door and production restarted within the hour. Alfred Jnr always professed that an element of luck was vital for all businesses. 17
A NEW CHAPTER After dedicating most of his working life to the success of the company, sadly, Alfred Snr died suddenly in 1970 aged 70, followed just two years later in 1972 by the passing of Stanley. The company at the time was being run by the third generation Brown family, Alfred Jnr and David were joint Managing Directors with Peter Brown as Sales Director. Whilst Alfred Snr and Stanley were greatly missed, their legacy continued to flourish and investment in the most up-to-date weaving equipment ensured that the fabrics produced were amongst the finest in West Yorkshire. Alfred Brown (Worsted Mills) Ltd gained a reputation for weaving high-quality fabric at a very competitive price. The mill was now running an impressive 24 hours a day, five days a week on three shifts, and output was up to 30,000 metres per week – the equivalent to almost 19 miles of fabric.
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Alfred Brown Jnr, Kenneth Rothery and David Brown
TINNED TOMATOES? Today, Alfred Brown is a truly international business, but at this time, our first trade with the Far East began as a result of an enquiry from a lady in Hong Kong. She wanted fabrics to make cloaks for the Outer Mongolian Mounted Cavalry and, after visiting the mill, placed an order for 5,000 metres of dark fawn and 5,000 of cavalry twill. A letter of credit was our normal method of payment, however, the banking system between China and the UK wouldn’t allow this. So the customer offered to pay us in tinned tomatoes. Luckily we eventually managed to arrange a letter of credit through Hong Kong and did not have to accept the tinned tomatoes!
Moving into export The early 1970s were exciting times that saw the UK enter the European Union and many companies looking overseas to new markets and customers. It was then that two large UK multiple clothiers began having suits made in Sweden and asked Alfred Brown to send over fabric.
David realised the sales opportunity and embarked on the first of many successful sales trips to the area. We established strong trade links with Sweden and other parts of Scandinavia, selling large quantities of an all-wool navy serge for suits and trousers. This trade continued throughout the 1970s and 1980s and that very same fabric is still woven today.
Swedish exports boomed when we started selling a 20oz cavalry twill cloth to Swedish clothier Essge, to make into trousers, that were sold in huge volumes to Germany. It wasn't long before German clothiers discovered that Alfred Brown was the supplier of this quality cloth. Word quickly spread resulting in more orders for cavalry twill, which was excellent news for our export sales. Closer to home, Peter developed good sales contacts in Eire, introducing Alfred Brown fabric to many new quality-conscious Irish customers.
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Four generations
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1980 TO 1989
UK SALES Alfred Jnr, David and Peter were all keen and active salesmen, enjoying meeting their customers and bringing a personal touch to negotiations. Peter spent a great deal of time in London with our agent, Clifford Hall, helping to boost our London sales which went from strength to strength.
What attracted these large multiples was Alfred Brown’s ability to deliver the quality and quantity of fabric they demanded at what they felt was a good price.
This was a period of great success for the company in creating UK sales. Alfred Jnr was a big part of that success dealing with many well-known and respected high-street retailers including Burtons, Marks and Spencer, Daks Simpson and Debenhams.
In 1983 Roger McArdle was appointed as Sales Executive and proved to be a great asset to the business, becoming Sales Director in 1993. The company entered its 4th generation in 1986 with Alfred Jnr’s sons Ian and Nigel Brown joining the family business, Ian on the production side and Nigel on design and finishing. They were fortunate to join at a time when business was flourishing and quickly made their mark. They were made directors in 1993.
Roger McArdle, Sales Director
Ian Brown, joint Managing Director
Nigel Brown, joint Managing Director
BEST SALES EVER-1987 Sales hit an all-time high of 1.6 million meters in 1987. This peak in sales was only made possible by outsourcing production to other weavers, namely Hield Brothers of Bradford. At its peak, to satisfy the tremendous demand, the mill was running its own looms as well as 22 others on commission. 21
MIX & MATCH A key reason for our company’s success during this period was without doubt consistency. Our ability to offer large retailers continuity of colour for repeat orders enabled them to sell suits as separates. As one of the first mills to offer this service for mix and match suits, Alfred Brown fabric was guaranteed to match, not just from one batch to the next, but for years; we were always able to provide an exact colour match of the original order. No easy task, but one that helped to build an impressive portfolio of retailers and garment makers whose customers would also reap the benefits of mix and match.
Production started with plain poly/wool serges and gabardines for railway staff, security workers and funeral directors. These were dependable, highperformance fabrics and were soon followed by ‘house’ fabrics, designed especially for many banks and building societies, including Yorkshire Bank, Clydesdale Bank, Allied Irish Bank and Bank of Ireland. Our ability to provide bespoke poly/wool fabrics also helped us to secure two of our biggest contracts. We designed bespoke tartans specifically for the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Bank of Scotland to give their staff an entirely unique corporate image.
‘Stock service’ also helped the company to secure a great deal of business. This service offered immediate delivery of classic suiting fabrics from stock all year round. This attracted brands like ‘The Label’ by Burton Group and ‘Harbarry’ who sold to independent menswear retailers and concessions in department stores.
Corporate wear We created another impressive source of sales in the 1980s by developing a 55% polyester and 45% wool fabric. This hard-wearing fabric was perfect for smart yet practical staff uniforms for a wide diversity of service industries. The Mill at Bramley, Leeds 22
NON-STOP WEAVING
By 1987 Alfred Brown was operating 28 looms of which eight were double looms. This enabled continuous weaving on a shift basis with a workforce of 70 people.
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Moving forward
1990 TO 1999
NEW WARPING AND WAREHOUSE AT BRAMLEY In the mid -1950s, spinners decided to stop supplying yarn on beams. This meant it was essential for us to have our own warping department, so we acquired the warping business, C Smith (Keighley). Warping continued at the Keighley site until the late 1990s. We then had the opportunity to finally buy back the original building first bought by Herbert to house his looms in 1915, that the company had sold in the 1940s. Ian then began the task in 1998 of relocating the warping equipment to the Bramley site. Before it could be installed, the old building was completely demolished and a new, much larger one was constructed. This then housed the state-of-the-art Benninger warping machine and Suzuki sample warper.
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STRETCH FABRICS American influences in the 1990s brought about a more casual approach to office wear. In response, Next decided to introduce a new smart/casual trouser to their menswear range (the five-pocket Western), styled like a jean but made from fine worsted fabric. We developed a new wool/lycra blend which would make the garment much more comfortable and less susceptible to creasing. The first Alfred Brown lycra fabric was launched in 1997 and was hugely successful.
HARRY POTTER CLOAKS
We gained a real wealth of technical expertise at this time that proved highly beneficial to the corporate side of the business that was soon dominated by lycra fabrics.
The company was delighted when Warner Brothers asked Alfred Brown to supply an all-wool black cloth for Hogwarts School cloaks in Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone.
Rising to the challenge The majority of suit production had left the UK by the mid-1990s. In fact, most suiting factories had actually closed and production had moved overseas. This was crunch time. The business had to rise to new challenges or flounder.
Our 340gm quality 938/black all-wool twill went on to star in all eight blockbusters in the globally successful series of Harry Potter films over a period of ten years.
A new export drive was needed and Joanne, youngest daughter of Alfred Jnr, became a new member of the family business. Dedicated to exports, she concentrated on the key markets of Spain, Germany, Austria and Japan whilst agents continued to cover Eire and Scandinavia. It was during this period that the company began exporting to Japan via their agents Mr Setsuda and Mr Sakai. Whilst the quality of our cloth speaks for itself, we are eternally grateful to them for taking a leap of faith and dealing with a relatively unknown British mill. Joanne was made Export Director in 1996 but later withdrew from the role due to family commitments, however, today she still continues to be actively involved in a marketing capacity.
Joanne Brown, Export Sales 1991–1998
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Family business TOWER OF LONDON Alfred Brown provides Kashket with a navy barathea cloth for the uniform of Her Majesty’s Yeomen Warders at the Tower of London. The identical fabric in black is also supplied through Samuel Brothers for the Royal Household. Joanne, Alfred Jnr, Nigel and Ian Brown
In the mid-1990s David and Peter retired and over the next few years the company began buying in shares from the other family members. With the purchase of shares from David, Peter and Ann (Alfred Snr’s daughter), the company has ever since been wholly owned by Alfred Jnr and his family. Alfred Jnr took on the role of Managing Director from 1991 until 1997 when he decided to step down from the day-to-day running of the business. Ian and Nigel were made joint Managing Directors in 1997 26
with Alfred Jnr as Chairman.
We’ve had many extremely loyal employees over the decades, but one in particular deserves recognition. Johnny Ward started work at the mill at 14 years of age; as a ‘lad’ he worked up to being ‘twister’ in the mill until he retired aged 65. Johnny then went on to become caretaker for the mill and is fondly remembered as our longest serving employee to date.
r Mrs Alfred Brown Sn ion tat sen making a pre to Johnny Ward
LONG ASSOCIATIONS Accountants and continuity are key for any successful business. Alfred Brown has used accountancy firm Messrs Thomas Coombs from the very beginning and has greatly appreciated their personal service and advice over the decades. In fact, Alfred and David often say that they probably know more about the Brown family’s financial affairs than they do. We were one of the Midland Bank’s earliest customers at City Square, Leeds. Since then, and especially in the early years when Brown & Sons (Bramley) Ltd suffered serious financial problems, they have been tremendously supportive. HSBC plc took over Midland Bank in 1992 and they remain our business bankers to this day.
GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES Elsie Naylor dedicated her working life to being an Alfred Brown weaver for 53 years, starting at the young age of 14. She later married Norman, who worked as a ‘percher’. Their son Paul served his apprenticeship as a ‘tuner’ and has remained a tuner with us for the past 30 years. 27
Investment
Ten-year capital investment plan of £3 million Maintaining competitiveness as a business requires ongoing investment. So, after buying back family shares, Alfred Jnr encouraged his management team to invest in new up-to-date machinery. Ian believed that greater efficiencies would only be achieved by standardising the looms and so it was agreed that all existing looms should be replaced. In 1993, the company became the first mill in the UK to purchase Sulzer’s brand-new G6200 rapier looms. Twenty-four were purchased in total and these new machines ran 65% faster than the old looms. Running at a staggering 530 revolutions per minute, the looms inserted nine weft threads a second and improved the fabric quality. The difference in production was remarkable, weaving 64 metres of cloth used to take a week – now it could be done in just six hours. Investment didn’t stop there. A brand-new 10,000sq metre purpose-built warping shed and warehouse was constructed on the Bramley site in 1997. This was followed a year later with the installation of a new state-of-the-art Benninger Ben-Matic warping machine with two creels. Enabling all warping to be moved from Keighley to Bramley this again greatly improved the mill’s efficiency and fabric quality. We also overcame a bottleneck in the twisting department in 2003 by purchasing a Staubli Delta 110 Automatic Drawing Machine that cleverly combines three separate operations in one.
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MAINS MELTDOWN AT THE MILL
In 1993, as part of our ongoing investment in weaving technology, we installed 24 Sulzer Looms. They ran 65% faster and with five electricity motors instead of one; this increased power demand soon melted our mains electricity supply. After plunging the neighbourhood into darkness, the electricity board thought it was time we had our own supply direct from the substation.
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BRITISH STYLE Classic designs are creatively reinterpreted each season. The distinct commercial appeal of Alfred Brown fabric is a trademark which we are proud of. Over the decades, as customers became more fashion conscious, they wanted more variety than the traditional plain serge fabrics. Our design department has played a key role in the business ever since. Today they work harder than ever to meet the constant demand for new designs and innovative fabrics. Drawing on our extensive archives and supported by years of experience, our designers showcase a fresh new collection twice a year at Ideabiella in Milan. Illustration by Sam Brown for Ideabiella 2012
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Savile Row
David Lambert, London Sales Manager
In 1991, the London office moved to Regent Street and David Lambert was appointed as our full-time London representative.
Elite London tailoring
Alfred Brown has a long, illustrious and proud association with Savile Row – the indisputable home of world-renowned tailoring. We supply our cloth to elite tailors including Gieves & Hawkes, Chester Barrie, Richard Anderson and Royal Warrant holders Ede and Ravenscroft. The company also provides many tailors on Jermyn Street with cloth for their ready-to-wear suits.
Quality is the key reason why so many of London’s most exclusive tailors rely on Alfred Brown to consistently deliver cloth to their incredibly exacting standards.
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New Century <#> 32
2000 TO 2009
A new millennium brought with it exciting new opportunities and challenges for the current generation of the Brown family.
Premium woven selvage
International success story
In 2006, Alfred Brown entered the woven selvage market with the purchase of six Staubli CX170 Name Edge Jacquards. We already had significant experience of supplying plain-edge fabric to Japanese garment makers, but what we really wanted was to break into a much larger market by supplying fabric to merchants and tailors. Confirming authenticity is essential when dealing with these customers and having fabric quality and its origin woven down the selvage does just that.
Whilst UK sales were healthy, they weren’t large enough to keep up with the company’s ambition and the mill’s improved production capacity. Therefore, in 2008, Alfred Brown decided to promote its uniquely British product to new, previously untapped global markets. The first collections were debuted at Milan’s Ideabiella fabric fair and received glowing responses. Simultaneously, Nigel Brown re-established the brand’s connections with Japan by appointing Mt Sakai and his company Tresse as our agent. It was a shrewd appointment as Alfred Brown is today one of the foremost suppliers of quality British worsted fabric in Japan. Building on our Far Eastern success, Alfred Brown showed its collections for the first time at the Shanghai Fabric Fair in 2015.
Global Brands Empire Mills, Brown & Sons and Woodhead Fabrics are all Alfred Brown brands that carry that mark of British quality.
HRH the Prince of Wales with Ian and Nigel Brown at the Campaign for Wool event in Bradford Town Hall, 2010
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ALFRED
BROWN 34
Empire Mills
WOODHEAD FABRICS
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Brands
All of our brands are today synonymous with fine worsted fabric. Respected around the world for their unrivalled British heritage, distinct commercial appeal and unwavering quality. 35
Onwards
2010 TO 2015
LOOMS DON’T LAST FOREVER
In 2010, after 15 years of running 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, it was time once again to invest £1.5 million in new looms. 24 Sulzer Textile G6500s were purchased after extensive trials. Today the mill continues to be successful running 30 looms, with a workforce of 70 people, with the capacity to produce 1.25 million metres of cloth a year. In 2014 Ian’s eldest son Ben joined the business as part of the production team and has also been responsible for installing a new bespoke computer system with Juno Software. Ian and Nigel remain joint Managing Directors, with Ian in charge of production and Nigel in charge of design and finishing. Both are also actively involved in sales together with Roger their Sales Director. 36
Alfred Jnr continues in his role as Chairman and visionary. They have all been instrumental in forging the company forward over the past 30 years. Having experienced many exciting and exacting times, Alfred Brown continues to manufacture British fabric for a worldwide clientele, reflecting its identity as a traditional weaver of fine worsted cloth. Herbert would no doubt be pleased to know that the company is now in its fifth generation and continuing to thrive a century after he founded it.
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Technology today Advances in weaving technology since the 1950s has enabled us to greatly increase efficiency and quality of finished cloth. Today we weave over one million metres of worsted fabric a year.
Sulzer Textile G6500
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Elsie Naylor on a Saurer shuttle loom. These looms were a great stepping stone heralding the start of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manufacturing revival in the 1950s
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The International Magazine for Luxury Fabrics, Yarns and Fibres
Issue 24 September 2010
Sporting
Over the last decade, Alfred Brown has woven a myriad of fabrics that have been used to tailor the formal suits for our national teams.
British classic How Alfred Brown is taking on the world – and winning
www.twist-international.com
Published by WORLD TEXTILE INFORMATION NETWORK
David Beckham in the official 2010 World Cup suit made with Alfred Brown pure new wool birdseye fabric
2010 FOOTBALL WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA A striking three-piece suit was tailored by Marks and Spencer for the England Team, made from an Alfred Brown birdseye design fabric. This suit went on to be one of their best-selling suits of all time.
2013 THE BRITISH AND IRISH LIONS RUGBY TOUR Alfred Brown supplied Thomas Pink with an all-wool navy fabric for the team’s official blazer. We also supplied Moss Bros with a Super 110s blue birdseye for the suits of the England Rugby League Team touring Australia.
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ns in their d Irish Lio zers British an ol navy bla official wo
Achievements THE 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES IN LONDON Team GB in the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games wore formal garments tailored by Next, using an Alfred Brown all-wool micro design in a prunelle weave.
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EURO 2012 Marks and Spencer and the English Football Association selected an Alfred Brown bright blue tropical all-wool for the England squadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official suit.
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2014 COMMONWEALTH GAMES IN GLASGOW Alfred Brown supplied Magee with a striking all-wool green blazer material for the Northern Ireland Team.
2014 FOOTBALL WORLD CUP IN BRAZIL We supplied Marks and Spencer and the English FA with a tropical plain weave 95/5 mix wool mohair fabric. It was specifically chosen for its great wicking properties, essential for the hot climate that the England squad would encounter in Rio. We are also proud to have supplied fabric for numerous other great sporting clubs and teams including Manchester United and Chelsea football clubs.
Paul Smith designed and supplied suits for Manchester United using Alfred Brown fabric
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THANK YOU We feel honoured to be at the helm of this unique and successful family business. We are indebted to all those who have trodden this path before us, whose inspiration and dogged determination have helped make Alfred Brown the company it is today. We wish to thank all our workforce for their hard work, loyalty and dedication as well as our suppliers and customers without whom we would not be here today. No one can foresee the future but what we have achieved in the past 100 years is there for all to see. Our spirit of enterprise and teamwork will continue as we look forward to the next 100 years.
Alfred Brown Jnr Chairman
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Nigel and Ian Brown joint Managing Directors
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YEARS C E L E B R AT I N G 1 0 0 Y E A R S WOVEN IN ENGLAND 1 9 1 5 2 0 1 5
Alfred Brown (Worsted Mills) Ltd employees in 2015 46
A Century of Quality Produced and written by Rhian Brown 2016 Designed by Tractor Creative
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Head office: Alfred Brown (Worsted Mills) Ltd, Empire Mills, Mill Lane, Bramley, Leeds LS13 3HG T. +44 (0) 113 256 0666 E. sales@alfredbrown.co.uk W. www.alfredbrown.co.uk London office: Suite 2-3, Morley House, 6th Floor, 314-322 Regent Street, London W1B 3BQ T. +44 (0) 20 7323 5920