John Smedley

English knitwear brand. The Smedley family, active in the sector of yarns for more than 300 years, still manages the factory established in 1784 by John Smedley and Peter Nightingale. The two entrepreneurs, prompted by the technological innovations of Sir Richard Arkwright, started their business in the middle of the Industrial Revolution in the northern England. They started with a spinning mill for the cotton imported from India and Egypt, having the garments knitted outside of the factory. Their vision of modernity and efficiency foresaw the complete automation of the production chain under a single roof. They achieved it fifteen years later. Being enlightened industrialists, they offered good working conditions. Furthermore they invested in charities, among which the Smedley’s Hydro, a center for water cures. In 1893 the factory became a limited company. The business expanded and new machinery were purchased, making them capable of producing a large variety of knitwear products. Already in the first decades of the 20th century, the company offered a large range of articles, from underwear to swimwear to jerseys for golfers. It specializes in the manufacturing of precious yarns, such as the Australian merino lambswool and sea island cotton, for which the company is still renowned. The premises — amplified and modernized — are still the same as those in 1784.
&Quad;In the last 40 years of the 20th century, the company attained its maximum expansion with four lines: Voyage, Luxury Range, Men’s Wool and Cotton, and Ladies’ Wool and Cotton, becoming the symbol of British style in the world.
&Quad;1998. The launch of a new line of products in merino wool from New Zealand, obtained from sheep exclusively reared for John Smedley, was announced at the 58th edition of Pitti Immagine Uomo.
&Quad;The company manufactures all of its garments in national plants through 35 steps of hand-finished manufacturing, which includes the immersion of knitwear in selected English waters to guarantee its softness. The brand was distributed in 30 countries and exported 70% of its production.