A HOLME Valley textile firm was chosen as the venue for the launch of the world’s most expensive clothing fabric.
Bower Roebuck at New Mill played host to 30 tailors from London’s exclusive Savile Row when parent company Scabal unveiled its latest suiting fabric.
The cloth is hardly a snip at £4,000 a metre – and up to £25,000 for a finished suit – but Scabal executives are confident the fabric will be in demand from the world’s wealthiest and best-dressed men.
The cloth is made from the hair of the vicuna, a near-relative of the llama and Alpaca, which lives in Peru, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile.
Sales director Neil Hart said: “It has taken quite a few years to get to the stage where we can launch the Worsted Vicuna for Suitings collection. While 100% vicuna has been around a long time for overcoats and jackets, no one has previously produced a 100% vicuna which is for suiting.
“It took a long time and a lot of guts to invest in the raw material, to create the first samples and to get to the point were we are able to offer it for sale.
“There is a certain risk involved, but we are very happy with the outcome and we are now launching.”
Mr Hart said tailors buying the cloth would be taking out insurance to cover any accidental slips of the shears, adding: “When you are cutting cloth of this value, you don’t want to make mistakes.”
He said: “It is made from the finest, rarest fibre. We have eight designs in the collection, but only enough fabric for 15 to 20 suits in each one. It is truly a connoisseur’s cloth. The guy who wears it and has the ability to pay for it will know it is the finest fabric available.”
Launching the new range at Bower Roebuck underlined the mill’s long-standing involvement with Scabal. Although the vicuna suitings will be woven elsewhere, Bower Roebuck continues to produce high quality cloth for Scabal and boasts a host of celebrity customers.
Bower Roebuck clients have included US presidents George Bush, George W Bush and Bill Clinton, James Bond actor Daniel Craig, footballer David Beckhamand Hollywood stars Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson.
The mill employs 70 people and produces about 360,000 metres of fabric a year for Scabal – including its Diamond Chip cloth, which contains diamond fragments and its Gold Treasure collection, which is woven with gold thread.
Through Scabal, Bower Roebuck exports to 65 countries, including italy, USA, Russia, Japan and France. Cloth woven at the firm’s Glensdale Mill is also transformed into suits sold at Scabal’s own retail store on London’s Savile Row.
