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Preview: John Smedley Autumn/Winter 2010

At John Smedley they're known for high quality knitwear and a rich 225-year heritage. They're a luxury brand with roots in the Derbyshire countryside and garments. 

John Smedely Autumn Winter 2010 Collection

Their womenswear collection is all about the silhouette with shape and outline softened with a drape, a fold or tactile texture. The collection blends a colourful edge with a new elegant and androgynous take on women’s knitwear. The collection is contemporary and confident with optimistic brights and in-depth, rich jewel colours mixed with a palette of warm neutrals.

Their menswear collection draws inspiration from the personality of ‘The Archivist.’ Exploring the concept of a ‘collection’ in all its guises, the range blends well-loved pieces with future classics to create a textural and colourful anthology reminiscent of a passionately compiled archive. These will be timeless pieces to collect and to treasure.

"MADE IN ENGLAND"

(Below: Images via here.)

[Also...]

• Read this excellent story from The John Smedley Factory by Mr. Andrew Williams. (The images above.)
• Remember this?
• Video: An interview with John Smedley Managing Director.
• Don't miss our final summer sale deals on Men's sea island cotton sweaters --- HERE.
• Check out our final summer sale on Women's sea island cotton cardigans --- HERE.

Both men's and women's A/W 2010 collections are available in store already!

Please visit us and enjoy the gorgeous John Smedley world at Lark.

All the items will be available online soon, too!

Sale Feature: John Smedley 20% off

'A man should look as if he had bought his clothes with intelligence, put them on with care and then forgotten all about them.'

Hardy Amies

Shop men's and women's John Smedley

From underwear to outerwear

"John Smedley is 225 years old with origins in fine underwear manufacture. Our values remain the same as they were then: to create contemporary knitwear from high quality materials. In 1922 we introduced the luxurious John Smedley's Sea Island Cotton and 10 years later, in 1932, we introduced the first in what would become a long line of iconic outerwear garments. Isis and Leander were both made from John Smedley's Sea Island Cotton and remain staple, stylish pieces in our summer collections."

"John Smedley designs and manufactures at Lea Mills, our Derbyshire mill, with designers working as part of, not away from, the factory floor. We take their creativity and use technology and craftsmanship to innovate, push boundaries and ultimately, create luxurious knitwear. We now use extra-fine Merino wool alongside John Smedley's Sea Island Cotton to create almost all of our knitwear. Together they allow us to create garments of the highest quality."

Over the years a number of high profile customers have added John Smedley to their wardrobes. Well-known heroes of the James Bond and Mission Impossible films have worn our garments on and off the screen. Our knitwear was also featured in the 2009 film for Chanel, Coco avant Chanel. See our News section for more appearances by John Smedley.

John Smedley Electra Cardigan in relish

John Smedley Islington Cardigan in Bluebird

Now Online: John Smedley for women

You can now get your John Smedley for women online at Lark

A little bit about John Smedley

Let's start with the second John Smedley. In 1819 John Smedley's son, also John Smedley, was apprenticed to the company and, after thorough training, took over at the helm six years later at the age of 24. With great energy and vision he set about modernising and expanding the business. He made it his aim to bring the entire manufacturing process under one roof, using the finest materials.

The second John Smedley achieved his goal and established a production line capable of manufacturing fine-gauge, fully fashioned underwear and fine knitted outerwear unparalleled in quality. He also extended the factory itself, installing new machinery and fostering the skill and loyalty of a growing workforce by providing sympathetic working conditions that were unusual for the age.

The second John Smedley had no heir when he died in 1875. The business was passed on to a third John, a cousin, J T Marsden Smedley. He died soon after in 1877 and the company was entrusted to his son, the fourth John.

John B Marsden Smedley went on to expand the company even further. He was chairman for an impressive 70 years, during which he installed high-tech knitting machines and oversaw the business becoming a limited company in 1893. John B Marsden Smedley assembled the most versatile contemporary spinning mules and knitting machines in the country under one roof.

"John Smedley today is based on 225 years' experience of knitting. We take our long-standing values and apply them to a contemporary fashion industry. We strive to make all our garments at our mill in Derbyshire, which keeps us true to our roots, but equally important, it means we manage our traceability. We're in control of what we create."

It is rare that a manufacturer is so open about their practises and policies. There are no dark corners or hidden truths, everything you want to know from the quality of the products to the employment and ecological standards of the company are in the open. Only skilled tradespeople are employed, there are even employees whose ancestors worked for Lea Mills from the beginning making for generations of trained craftspeople in the employ of John Smedley.

Men's John Smedley is available online.

Feature: John Smedley Ganyemede

Ever wondered what Sea Island Cotton feels like when it's knitted?

The John Smedley story is vast and remarkable. It's hard to even know where to start to explain the exceptional beauty and integrity that is the foundation of this company. Perhaps it can be put into some perspective to share with you that the factory, Lea Mills, is located in a world heritage site. 

Get your John Smedley Ganyemede Cardigan online

John Smedley on CNBC

An interview with John Smedley Managing Director - Andrew Caughey on CNBC last friday. 

Consumers Still Looking for Quality: John Smedley

The reasons to admire and adore the John Smedley:

Working with the Environment

They have been ecologically friendly for over 200 years. John Smedley is situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty. This means they have always had a responsibility to the local environment. As washing is a crucial aspect of what they do, they draw unique water, not from dwindling resources, but from their own three underground springs, rising from the millstone grit of the Derbyshire Peak District National Park. The softness and purity of their water translates into the luxurious touch of their garments, as well as their shrink-resistance.

But, for future generations, they also want to keep that water pure. The water we put back undergoes stringent cleaning processes. They do use synthetic dyes – but only because the chemicals required to make natural dyes washable can be more damaging still. Rest assured that they won’t cut corners if it means cutting back on good ecological practice.

Made In England
It could be easy for John Smedley to manufacture abroad. In a globalised economy, it may even make sound financial sense. But they think that something special would be lost - that indefinable character that makes something exceptional.

John Smedley has been making fine knitwear in Derbyshire for over 200 years. Their family business was there at the birth of the industrial revolution, back when the first factories and looms were being built. That is a heritage to be proud of. And not one to be dismissed lightly.

Of course, looking back should not stop them moving forward. But they stay dynamic by staying put - because it is in England’s traditional knitting heartlands that are found generations of experience and skills in knitting and hand-finishing world-class knitwear. Those unique skills may come at a price. But, carefully nurtured, they ensure the highest quallity and innovation. It is they that allow John Smedley to be acknowledged as the best in its class.

(article via here.)

 

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John Smedley Women's also available at our store.

Contact us for more details: shop@lark.me