Manchester - fashion and academia at the heart of British manufacture (part 1)

I was in Manchester recently and was lucky enough to be shown round a few of the gems of the city's burgeoning fashion industry. Manchester was for decades the cradle of the country's cotton industry; its mills were powered by the huge amounts of water flowing down from the surrounding hills. I remember being told as a child that Manchester's damp air helped prevent the cotton threads snapping - whether this is true or not I don't know. Later many mills manufactured clothes as well. 

There's lots to smile about in Manchester - Cooper & Stollbrand Ltd - manufacturing menswear in the UK

Unfortunately the middle of the last century saw huge social and economic changes. I recall mills and chimneys being demolished in the sixties as the UK's place in the world fabric and clothing industry's collapsed under the pressures of foreign-produced goods.

But things are changing and Manchester now hums with creative and manufacturing energy again. I'm very grateful to Rupert Greenhalgh of New Economy, Manchester for organising these visits. New Economy plays an important part in developing Manchester's economic growth and prosperity. See New Economy's website here.

Here I cover some of the brands visited while in Manchester. I also describe a visit to the impressive Department of Apparel at Manchester Metropolitan University. I'll cover a visit to Private White VC in a future post.

Frank Rostron - Bespoke shirt makers

Frank Rostron make their bespoke and off the peg shirts on their premises in central Manchester and ship their products all over the country and, indeed, the World, having a large market in the USA.

The care and pride they put into their shirts is illustrated by their store of swatches of every cotton shirt fabric they have ever used to make a shirt. These are kept to ensure that fabrics match exactly when customers return their shirts for repair or alteration after many years of wear.

See Frank Rostron's website for more information.

Shirts at Frank Rostron

Making shirts on the premises at Frank Rostron

Swatches of shirt fabric for future repairs and alterations - Frank Rostron

James Darby Bespoke. Bespoke tailor

I came away from my meeting with James Darby buzzing with his creativity and ideas. Both James and his lovely boxer, Trevor, approach everything with a bouncy enthusiasm which complement each other so well. 

Trevor helps out

James describes his style as 'authentic Savile row meets Picasso,old school quality with contemporary artisan twist', which seems a fair description. His clothes vary from the traditionally classic to pioneering designs with their roots in working and military clothes. A visit to see James is a must when you visit Manchester. See James Darby on Tumblr here. He can be e-mailed here.

A strong workwear element - James Darby

James Darby tries out all sorts of creative ideas to make his garments more practical

James Personal Tailor & Son and The Denim Doctor

James Personal Tailor was established in Bolton in 1973 by James Pendlebury after many years as an apprentice bespoke tailor serving under master Savile Row-trained tailors. He moved to Manchester and went through the trauma of having his premises destroyed by the IRA bomb in 1996. He now trades from James Binney House, Cross Street.

The premises are a wonderful place to visit. Among fascinating mementoes and pictures I was shown beautifully-crafted coats, suits and jackets made for the businessmen, lawyers, professional footballers and good citizens of Manchester.

James's some Michael works alongside his father. A sideline is The Denim Doctor, which repairs precious, often vintage and irreplaceable denim jeans as they wear out. Michael has jeans sent to him from all over the world for magical, often invisible, repair.

Contact James Personal Tailor and The Denim Doctor.

Denim jeans so heavy they stand up on their own

Spot the loyal customers of James Personal Tailor

A wooden block used when pressing trousers

Manchester Metropolitan University

My final visit was to see the Department of Apparel in the Hollings Faculty of Manchester Metropolitan University. The faculty creates a bridge between the arts, business and science in its fashion courses. Its success is evident from the fact that some 97% of its graduates get jobs. 

Combining high technology design, buying and merchandising, fashion promotion and using computer technology and complex scientific equipment, the faculty is highly impressive. I was lucky enough to be able to talk to some of the students and found them enthused and creative. Links to all aspects of the fashion and manufacturing industry enable them to gain real experience. What I found most impressive was that the relationship with industry was two way - businesses can benefit from a sharp academic analysis during placements by the students and its academic staff. 

Hi-tech at Manchester Met University

Students working on designs