1896 is an editorial platform created by dugdale bros. & co. as a tribute to one hundred thirty years of excellence and the ultimate expression of our boundless commitment to the crafts of both cloth-making and merchanting.
founded in 1896, dugdale bros. & co. is the last remaining independently owned cloth merchant in the historic yorkshire mill town of huddersfield. we produce fine worsted and woollen cloths as well as cottons, linens, trimmings and linings.
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a note from the chairman
I’ve spent most of my life talking about cloth made in Huddersfield. As a fourth- generation cloth maker from the town, it’s all I’ve ever really known. It’s been the backdrop to my life for as long as I can remember. But the longer I’ve spent in this trade, the more I’ve come to realise that cloth is really a way into something much bigger: the people, places and traditions behind it.
The shepherd out on the hill. The sorter in the warehouse. The weaver at the loom. The designer experimenting with a new idea. The tailor working late into the evening. The customer who will eventually wear the finished garment and make it their own. Every piece of cloth passes through countless hands before it becomes a tangible, wearable product - an heirloom to be passed from one generation to the next.
Over the years, my work has taken me all over the world. I’ve visited mills, workshops, tailoring houses and factories. I’ve met farmers, historians, designers, tailors, entrepreneurs and craftspeople of every description. What always strikes me is that the most interesting conversations rarely begin with cloth itself. They begin with people -their stories, their ideas and their passion for what they do.
On this journey I’ve also come to recognise that the strongest custodians of any craft are rarely the loudest voices. More often, they are people whose humility has been forged through hard graft, sustained by passion and tempered by patience. They carry their knowledge lightly, yet their contribution runs deep. The traditions we value today endure because of people like these. 1896 was created as a place to share some of those stories.
In these pages you’ll travel from the textile towns of Yorkshire to Savile Row, from sheep farms to restaurant kitchens, from Huddersfield to Naples. You’ll meet people preserving centuries-old traditions and others finding entirely new ways to interpret them. Some work with cloth every day. Others simply share a belief that how something is made still matters.
We live in a world where it’s easier than ever to buy almost anything, often without knowing where it came from, who made it or why. Yet there also seems to be a growing appetite to reconnect with those stories. To understand provenance. To value craftsmanship. To know not just what something is, but where it came from. This publication is our small contribution to that conversation.
Whether you’re a tailor, a designer, a maker, or simply someone with a curiosity about how things are made, I hope you’ll find something in these pages that interests you. And if nothing else, I hope it encourages you to look a little more closely at the things you wear, the people who made them, and the stories they carry with them.
Finally, my sincere thanks go to all those who make our work possible. To the many individuals, often unseen, whose skill, dedication and care allow us to produce cloth that is quietly spoken, yet grand in stature. Your craftsmanship, patience and passion are woven into every piece we create.
Thank you for reading.
Robert Charnock
Chairman
Dugdale Bros. & Co.
we insist on the best
For over a century, Dugdale Bros & Co. has woven passion, pride, and integrity into everything we do.
Since 1896, we’ve supported and championed generations of skilled local craftsmen and women. Our collections are designed in-house and manufactured within just ten miles of our historic headquarters on Northumberland Street - a proud tribute to our roots in Huddersfield’s rich textile heritage.
We continue to embrace many of the same tried and tested techniques that have stood the test of time. Yet, as a forward-thinking company, we are equally committed to innovation - combining time-honoured skills with modern technologies to create cloth that is as luxurious as it is enduring.
For us, there’s only one place to make proper cloth, the proper way - Huddersfield.
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cloth that lasts a lifetime
We are an ethically and environmentally conscious company and our cloth is never over designed or overpriced. Our name stands for British luxury, quality and authenticity and we still proudly prosper in the place where it all began.
As we remain defiantly independent, it’s our duty to preserve and promote the craft of our industry through tireless innovation and forward thinking that will help secure a future for our suppliers and clients alike. Our processes are a carefully measured blend of the traditional and modern with a stringent drive for quality placed firmly at the heart of everything we do. We’re dedicated to making cloth the right way, or not at all.
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hardy, handsome & humble
No corners cut, no excuses, just proper cloth.
Through tireless innovation, a dedication to craftsmanship and the utmost respect for the tradition of clothmaking, we have built an unparalleled collection of fine cloths that appeal to the world’s most discerning customers, from Savile Row tailors to international fashion houses and Hollywood costumiers.
We believe that where things are made matters. By working exclusively with local experts in spinning, weaving and finishing we can control every element of our production process, ensuring key quality and sustainability standards are met, every time.
Often imitated but never bettered, Dugdale Bros & Co is the last independently owned cloth merchant in the historic mill town of Huddersfield, Yorkshire. Our family run firm has designed and produced cloth the only way we know how to – with equal measures of pride, passion and integrity.
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distinctly dugdale
Our cloths are designed and manufactured to our exacting standards under the watchful eye of our expert team. Every fibre and every technique is considered, accounted for and employed in the best possible way. That’s what makes our cloth distinctly Dugdale.
We house a vast array of collections, of different cloth types, weights and finishes, varying from the cloths that first helped to establish the Dugdale Bros name, to the newer, more innovative ranges that continue to transform expectations of what we have to offer.
We take immense pride in our history and traditions, and love that the slightly eccentric nature of the Dugdale brand shines through in our more daring collections – always with the same premium-grade quality our customers have come to expect.