William Halstead has been weaving fine mohair and worsted fabrics since 1875. The company is based in the historic textile city of Bradford, England, and is a weaver of luxury suiting fabrics for many of the top fashion houses.

William Halstead – visual board by UKFT

William Halstead is a standard bearer of the proud tradition of cloth manufacture in the city of Bradford, known as “Woolopolis”. These days, the company is that rare thing in the English textile industry – an originator and weaver of fabric. Its mission today is to satisfy the exacting demands of the most prestigious fashion houses, garment manufacturers, bespoke tailors, and couturiers in the major creative centres of the globe.

 

To this end, the company is harnessing new ways of sharing its Autumn/Winter collection digitally and communicating our creativity and expertise by means of the latest technology. William Halstead’s key position in UK textiles means it has unique responsibility to engage with the international supply chain of fibre and yarn providers, driving the evolution of its most iconic cloths to be woven from responsibly sourced wool and mohair. Transformation to a sustainable and responsibly-sourced future will not occur overnight but the company has started the process with genuine commitment and enthusiasm gained from a serious understanding that it is taking the right path.

William Halstead has gained a reputation within the textile world as the “Master of Mohair” but far from confining the collection to one fibre, the same impeccable skillset is carried across the entire portfolio of worsted and mohair cloths.

 

Responding to the transseasonal reality of fashion in the 21^st Century, the most in-demand fabrics find their place year-round; supported by a commitment to stock a generous range of constructions and shades. With a bedrock of many essentials covered from stock support, the company’s true creativity can take flight in the seasonal collection.

Inspiration for the AW21/22 Collection

Modern life is the inspiration for AW21/22 with the belief that formal and structured clothing still finds its place in contemporary settings. William Halstead provides a versatile range of natural fibre fabrics for the worlds clothing creatives to find the perfect expression of their vision. The company offers authentic British fabric constructions playing to the strengths of its heritage, at the same time understanding societal change means the context of tailored clothing is forever evolving.

William Halstead: History

The company was founded in 1875 in Bradford by William Halstead (1815-1924). Late in 1889 with the business expanding rapidly, William built Stanley Mills to which the company transferred in 1890 and still operates from today.

William continued to work at Stanley Mills until he died in his office at the mill in 1924 after 53 years in the business.

Since then the business has been run by a further five members of the family until in 2006 the company was acquired by SIL Holdings Ltd, another Bradford based family textile business. SIL are one of the largest speciality fibre manufacturers and merchants in the world.

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