AW Hainsworth
53°48′24″N 1°39′59″W / 53.80666293245962°N 1.6664242148736077°W
 | |
| Company type | Limited Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Textiles |
| Predecessor | Abimelech Hainsworth |
| Founded | 1783 |
| Founder | Abimelech "Old Bim" Hainsworth |
| Headquarters | , England |
Key people | Amanda Maclaren (Managing Director), Phil Atherton (Commercial Director), Thomas Hainsworth ("Overseeing" role, Family Council), Andrew Wright (Non-Executive Chairman) |
| Products | Wool, especially heavily milled types |
| Owner | Hainsworth family |
| Website | www |
AW Hainsworth & Sons, Ltd., formerly known as Abimelech Hainsworth is an English textile manufacturing company based in Pudsey, West Yorkshire. It is known for producing heavily milled wool fabrics such as melton and doeskin,[1]: 153 and supplying these to the British Army, most notably for the red coats worn ceremonially by certain British Army units, especially the Grenadier Guards, for whom Hainsworth is the exclusive supplier of scarlet wool cloth for tunics, navy blue for trousers, and grey for winter greatcoats.[2]
Products
[edit]The company holds a Royal Warrant of Appointment.[3] Charles, Prince of Wales and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge wore garments of Hainsworth cloth at their weddings. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was buried in a coffin made of Hainsworth wool. Prince Philip reportedly once asked Thomas Hainsworth what business he was in, and was told "textiles," to which the prince replied "Oh yes, a dying industry, isn't it?" In 2010, speaking a sustainability conference, Prince Charles joked “I have discovered a company that makes a woollen coffin — coffins, ladies and gentlemen, to die for."[4]
Hainsworth makes fabric for the clothing industry, academic dress, for fire-retardant personal protective equipment, automobile, upholstery, bakery conveyor belting, historical re-enactment, baize for billiard tables and the casino industry, and for costume and staging.[5]
History
[edit]The firm was founded as a clothing business in 1783 by 14 year old Abimelech Hainsworth, later known as "Old Bim".[5] In 1900, the founder's grandson, with the same name, was running the mill when he suffered a head injury in an industrial accident and was treated at the Leeds General Infirmary, spending twelve weeks in the hospital's care. In 1909, Hainsworth's wife donated the equivalent of £60,000 to the hospital which is commemorated by a brass plaque. The plaque was placed in storage and lost until its re-discovery in 2017. The plaque was presented to Adam Hainsworth, a descendant of the original benefactors, in 2021.[6]
Link with Catherine, Princess of Wales
[edit]In 1958, AW Hainsworth bought the Leeds textile manufacturing firm William Lupton & Sons. The great-grandfather of Catherine, Princess of Wales - Noël Middleton (1878-1951) - was a director of the company. The princess visited AW Hainsworth in 2023 where, according to a member of the Hainsworth family, she had prepared for her visit to the mill by chatting to her father, Michael Middleton, and mother Carole.[7][8][9]
Until 2021, the firm was run by descendant Thomas Hainsworth, marking the seventh generation of the family involvement. In that year, Hainsworth announced he would step down as director of the technical and transport interiors divisions in October, in favour of sales director Diane Simpson. Thomas Hainsworth retains an oversight role on the Family Council, which he helped to create in 2018.[10][11] After reaching an early twenty-first century nadir, the British wool industry has seen increased demand for its product. Thomas Hainsworth said the firm has learned from past mistakes, and that shareholders have told him to focus on reinvesting in equipment to remain competitive, instead of taking profits out of the business.[12]: 1
References
[edit]- ^ MacLochlainn, Jason (2011). The Victorian Tailor: An Introduction to Period Tailoring. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 9780312642334.
- ^ "Trooping the Colour Shines Spotlight on Hainsworth". AW Hainsworth. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ "A W Hainsworth and Sons Limited | Royal Warrant Holders Association". www.royalwarrant.org. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
- ^ Yaron Steinbuch (12 April 2021). "Prince Philip will reportedly be carried in wool coffin on electric Land Rover". The New York Post. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ a b Sally Clifford (20 March 2018). "Pudsey mill plays a part in Oscar glory". Telegraph & Argus. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ Grace Newton (9 July 2021). "Forgotten plaque donated by injured mill owner's wife in 1909 is reunited with his descendants after being found at Leeds General Infirmary". The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
- ^ "1958 Hainsworth bought William Lupton and Co from the Great Grandparents of Kate Middleton". Hainsworth. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
1958 - Hainsworth bought William Lupton and Co from the Great Grandparents of Kate Middleton.
- ^ Burchfield, R. (26 September 2023). "Princess Kate Narrowly—and Expertly—Avoids Wardrobe Malfunction in Her Seventh Pantsuit in a Row (But Who's Counting?)". Marie Claire. Future US. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
AW Hainsworth is a family-owned heritage textile mill, and Kate has familial connections to it, as a matter of fact—People reports that "her paternal ancestors were owners of a local woolen manufacturer and merchant William Lupton and Co., which was sold to AW Hainsworth in 1958." Kate's great-grandfather Noel Middleton was a director of the company; Noel was married to Olive Lupton in 1914, and they had three sons, including Peter Middleton, Kate's grandfather and the father of her father, Michael.
- ^ Perry, S. (26 September 2023). "Kate Middleton Was 'Blown Away' by Royal Wedding Connection at Textile Factory Visit (Exclusive)". People Magazine. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
Kate's great-grandfather Noel Middleton, who married Olive Lupton in 1914, was a director of the company. Noel and Olive had three sons including Peter Middleton, Kate's grandfather and the dad of her father, Michael. According to Rachel Taylor, a seventh-generation member of the Hainsworth family, the Princess of Wales prepared for her visit to the mill by chatting to her dad, Michael, and mom, Carole. "She had had a chat with her parents, and they had been filling her in," she tells PEOPLE. "They had obviously done some research. She spoke to a lot of people today. We were able to put a bit of bells and whistles onto that."
- ^ Caroline Wadham (3 August 2021). "Executive shake-up at AW Hainsworth". Drapers. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ Miran Rahman (5 August 2021). "People: Harrison Spinks; AW Hainsworth; AYKO; and more". TheBusinessDesk.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
- ^ "Wool: it's hot stuff again; INSIDE STORY;Wool comes in from the cold". London, England: Sunday Times. 13 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2022.