Can you believe it’s been 5 years since our very first collection of bespoke wools launched?
For those of you that aren’t au fait with our special woollen range, let us give you the tour.
The Importance of Local Geography
Fabworks’ roots are firmly grounded in the Heavy Woollen District that is West Yorkshire, meaning that there is a great foundation, literally on our doorstep, for access to all things woollen: both fibres & fabrics.
In 2019 we teamed up with some local weavers to produce a collection of wool tweed fabrics, tailored to our specific requirements, applying our fabric wherewithal, and using the best combination of textile elements, such as: weight of yarn, colour detailing, weave styles, finishing specifications, etc. Thus, Heart of Huddersfield was born!
As the name of the collection suggests, these woollen fabrics are manufactured in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, just 8 miles down the road from Fabworks in Dewsbury. Keeping it local and working with the heritage-steeped mills of Huddersfield, for each stage in the process: spinning, weaving, and finishing. The attention to detail and quality craftsmanship used to create the HoH fabrics is top-quality, and the result is a premium tweed.
Heart of Huddersfield: a bespoke and unique collection of premium quality wools that will never date. Tweed is timeless!
Fabworks’ History in Woollen Textiles
Fabworks is a family business with over 100 years’ experience in the textiles industry, and over 25 years’ experience trading as fabric merchants. With its roots firmly planted in the woollen trade and as a great supporter of UK-manufactured quality textiles. Now in the 21st century Fabworks is quite literally making its own history, as we immerse ourselves in local wool manufacture.
HoH is more than just a collection of woollen fabrics; it supports local businesses, has a reduced carbon footprint (through not sourcing products that come from the other side of the world), as well as curating fabric perfection - if you can consider that possible or achievable with woollen cloth.
Looking Back at Previous HoH Collections
2019: A first taste of manufacture for the next generation
Predecessors and ancestors of Fabworks were highly knowledgeable when it came to expertise surrounding woollen textiles having originally been rag sorters, but never ventured into the textile manufacturing side of the industry. With fresh faces and new motivation, in late 2018 the team stepped up their efforts in a bid to get their hands on colourful and unique woollen fabrics, having had no luck sourcing good stock from industry (also known as deadstock: repurposing fabrics that were from industry and surplus to requirements). Having teamed up with some local weavers, the task was to create and curate a very special project. Even we didn’t know exactly how it would turn out. Upon completion, the result was a whopping 43 wonderfully colourful and exciting wools, featuring gorgeous birdseyes, luscious herringbones, heavy duty meltons, and a quirky marled melton.
2020: Inspired by seedheads
Stepping into the second year of HoH with a little more understanding and experience under our belts, HoH was redirected towards a more detail-focused collection that was bespoke and a bit more Fabworks-like and taking into account recent trend. The final result was 12 perfect off-piste wools: Thistledown Marl. The Thistledown collection was born by the popularity of bouclé and textured-style tweeds that we were constantly asked for by potential tweed suitors. Inspired by the fluffy seedheads of thistles and with a nod to nature, the bobbly and textured but plain-coloured, Thistledown Marl was a colour-saturated collection that ticked many practical boxes and showed off an array of redeeming qualities that weren’t quite run-of-the-mill. Very well received by all, and with a few more notches in our belt of wool manufacturing knowledge.
2021: The Jewels of Yorkshire
6 jewel-hued twill-woven melton styles that oozed quality and class. A minimalist style that screams loud colours yet presumed elegance. A standard look with a premium finish. Teamed up with a stunning range of lining fabrics for ravishing colour centric styles.
2022: Our most recent collection to date
12 iconic herringbones featuring 2 different warps: 6 Mist Herringbones & 6 Storm Herringbones. Versatile, classic and with a beautiful handle, these very tweedy tweeds always do as they’re told, appeal to all wool connoisseurs, and are suitable for any occasion where there is an excuse to use tweed.
2019: First Ever HoH Collection
2020: Thistledown Marl
2021: Twill Melton
2022: The Herringbones
2023: The Next Chapter
What could possibly be coming next? We’ll be revealing more information about our 2023 collection before launch in September. For now, enjoy reading about the legacy of HoH, why it’s so special and how it has influenced the sewing & dressmaking world that we inhibit.
Let your mind unwind whilst we prepare behind-the-scenes, for a daring dream in 2023.
We hope you enjoyed the first instalment of our 2023 Heart of Huddersfield campaign. Make sure to check in again in 2 weeks’ time when we’ll bring you some more info about HoH as a whole, a quirky new addition, plus a secret puzzle for any budding code crackers that want to be ahead of the game before launch day.
Next HoH Pre-Launch Announcement: Monday 31st July 2023
Read more from the HoH23 Story
Chapter 4: The Crosshatch Chronicles are here!
The final instalment of the 2023 Story including style inspiration, the benefits of working with wool, how to colour coordinate, and a sustainability reminder.
Chapter 3: Introducing The Crosshatch Chronicles
The Crosshatch Chronicles is the newest addition to the Heart of Huddersfield range of woollen fabrics. Let us enchant you with our ensemble of colourfully captivating block checks.
Chapter 2: The Production Process & Insight Into Our Minds
Our focus on the new collection: how we are fully committed to sustainability, how we bring together all the necessary elements to create the perfect recipe.
