A decade ago it would take Burberry up to 15 weeks to process one garment, but detailed adjustments to working practiceshave knocked that down to six-and-a-half hours on a trial “lean” production line. The way the sewing is organised can make a dramatic difference. Then there is the “pork chop”, as it is known in the factory, which can be buttoned across the throat to keep out the chill. The coat’s collar alone is made up of eight pieces and its complex design includes traditional “D-rings”, initially designed to hold hand grenades. But that’s just the time spent stitching.Įach trenchcoat comprises 80 pieces put together with about 120 processes. It takes four hours of intensive work to put together a trenchcoat – nearly twice as long as it takes to make a suit. The classic honey beige in the fabric is a mix of pale cream and a green gold that gives the fabric its glow. Trainees start with simple items such as wool capes – items that can be unstitched if a mistake is made. The longest serving employees have worked at Burberry for more than 40 years and many will have to switch from a quick walk to work to a long bus journey.Įach member of the team is valuable as it takes a year of practice before sewers can take on the trickiest jobs such as stitching a collar. Persuading the ladies, and select group of gents, who work in Castleford and Keighley, to travel to nearby Leeds will be an important part of the move. It will combine weaving and coat manufacturing under one roof. Plans for Burberry’s new factory, designed by Stirling prize-winning architects Stanton Williams, are still on the drawing board but it is expected to open in late 2018 or 2019. Last year the sector saw the first increase in employment for more than 35 years, according to the Office for National Statistics. “In a world that’s changing so dramatically, where everything is getting faster and faster, timeless skills, detailed and quality workmanship becomes more and more important and I am proud we can play a role in promoting that.”īailey is riding a wave of increasing interest in making textiles and clothing in the UK. We have 800 incredible craftsmen and women in our two factories in Yorkshire and their tradition is something we should all be proud of, continue to build on, and promote on a world stage. Bailey is under pressure because Burberry’s sales have slowed as luxury-loving Chinese buyers have been put off travelling to Europe by the terrorist attacks in Paris and kept out of Hong Kong, once a shoppers’ paradise, by changes to visa rules.īailey says: “I’m a great believer in British manufacturing and the crafts and skills we have here. The focus on British manufacturing is part of Bailey’s fightback plan, expected to be detailed next week when the company reveals its annual financial results. Labelled Project Artisan, the new facility on the South Bank in Leeds will be the biggest newbuild clothing factory in the UK for at least 50 years – a statement about the brand’s heritage and values. Between 20, more than 500 British jobs were lost as the designer label cut costs by closing production facilities in Treorchy, Wales, and Rotherham, and trimmed jobs in its Yorkshire factories.īut now, under the leadership of Yorkshireman Christopher Bailey, Burberry’s chief creative officer, who also became chief executive in 2014, the company is investing at least £50m in a new factory that could bring 200 more manufacturing jobs to the UK.įreshly produced Burberry fabric is cut. It’s no real surprise that Burberry has not been keen to shine a light on its humble UK factories. Even now, no cameras are allowed and the company wants to scrutinise any quotes from staff. The process has been so protected that this is the first time a British journalist has been allowed in to the coat factory in Castleford or Burberry’s textile mill in Cross Hills, a village near Keighley. They stitch 5,000 of the brand’s heritage trenchcoats a week, each garment selling for more than £1,100. Photograph: Burberryīut it is the women toiling on the sewing machines, in jeans, loud T-shirts and gold jewellery who are the real force behind the brand’s famous coat.
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