Lance Mitchell from weavers Mitchell Interflex discusses the promising future of the UK woven textile industry.
Lance’s family business was established in 1907, and now has a fifth general family member working for them. From a picturesque mill dating back to 1786 in the Lancashire/Yorkshire borders, Mitchell Interflex were once weavers of striped deckchair fabric. They now weave a multitude of fabrics from all kinds of raw materials. As Lance says “If you’ve got a loom, you can weave anything.”
The UK textile industry produces £9 million of textiles every year. Lance shares his knowledge of the industry and his thoughts on its future.
In this episode Lance discusses:
- The size and vast nature of the modern woven textile industry, including technical fibres from carbon fibre to artificial turf
- The importance of investment for the future
- The need to change the perception of careers in the textile industry
- How the industry is progressing by diversifying into new yarns, raw materials and final products
- Where the next opportunities may come from
Mitchell Interflex will be exhibiting at Make it British Live! Meet them there on 29 & 30 May at Business Design Centre, London.
Shownotes for this episode: www.makeitbritish.co.uk/055
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