The London Lounge

I recently learnt that some of the top English cloth merchants (eg: Smith Woollens) do use Italian mills to produce their cloths.

Do you think that their Italian origin affects cloth quality from top English cloth merchants?

Does Lesser or Holland & Sherry have Italian connection like Smith?

Cloth merchants or distributors like HLesser, Scabal, Holland & Sherry, Smiths, etc., sell cloth from a variety of sources. They are merchants. Because they are British merchants doesn't mean they only sell British goods. Italy is a major source for a variety of fabrics types: cashmere, light weight worsteds, mohair, silk and linens. Spain is a source for mohair and flannels. The cloth merchant will normally tell you the source of the cloth you wish to buy, so do ask.

Some weavers of cloth, who have factories in the UK, will also contract out part of their work to factories in other countries. This is a bit more delicate a subject, but most weavers will clearly mark the products that are made in England.

That is most interesting. In that case, cloth merchants must exercise significant control over quality from variuos producers. Do merchants specify strict requirements, source its own bale, etc. to ensure quailty?

A reliable has told me that H and S has produced some cloth in China. WOW!

It works both ways -- H. Lesser has had at least two books from Carlo Barbera in Italy (one of which is really really nice as Dopey and Collar Melton have recently discovered ) -- Loro Piana has used Fox Flannel produce some of their tissue paper lannels (much lighter weight than what Fox typically produces and is justifiably famous for) -- the quality and specifications are up to the merchant ultimately

kolecho wrote:I recently learnt that some of the top English cloth merchants (eg: Smith Woollens) do use Italian mills to produce their cloths.

Do you think that their Italian origin affects cloth quality from top English cloth merchants?

Does Lesser or Holland & Sherry have Italian connection like Smith?