AW Hainsworth makes textiles for fashion houses, weaves felt for Steinway pianos and produces red tunics for soldiers.
The Princess of Wales’s visit to a textile mill had her marvelling at the fabric used for her husband’s wedding military uniform and she loved the smell of the wool used in the process.
Kate visited Yorkshire manufacturer AW Hainsworth and was given a guided tour of the business, from yarn to fabric, at the firm which has a close association with her family.
The company, based in the small town of Pudsey, makes textiles for a range of clients from fashion houses like Gucci, woven felt for Steinway pianos to the red tunics worn by guardsmen, and bought a woollen manufacturer from the princess’s great grandparents in the 1950s.
Amanda McLaren, AW Hainsworth’s managing director, said after the visit: “Her love for textiles was clearly there.
“She was commenting that she loved the smell of wool, for example.
“She was fascinated by some of the traditional processes and also things like the dye house where she could see the fabric that is worn by the Buckingham Palace guards…being dyed red, and it really brought home to her the intricacies of the process and the skills of our people.”
For his 2011 wedding, William wore his Irish Guards military uniform, reflecting his role at the time as Colonel of the Irish Guards.
Ms McLaren added: “Our history in military fabrics goes back to 1815, when we supplied fabric for the Battle of Waterloo, for example.
“So we have a lot of history in military fabrics and ceremonial too.
“So the recent coronation was our biggest marketing day so every fabric that you can see on show that day would have been made here.”
