Antich & Sons Huddersfield Ltd
Location: Huddersfield
At the heart of UK textiles
In terms of textiles, Antich & Sons Huddersfield Ltd, founded in 1989, is a relatively young organisation. Yet the commission weaver located its purpose-built premises in Huddersfield for a reason. Since the industrial revolution, this region has been at the heart of the world’s textile industry and Antich & Sons has capitalised on the skills, knowledge and work ethic of the local people.
“Huddersfield cloth has a world-wide reputation for quality and it’s a tradition that we’re privileged to continue today. As commission weavers, we work with the design team, turning raw materials into fabric and cloth for a companies operating throughout the world,” said managing director, Chris Antich.
Famous fashion labels
Antich & Sons premium quality cloth is used by some of the most respected names in fashion design, including Prada, Givenchy, Yves St Laurent, Boss, Nina Ricci, Hugo Boss and Chanel. The company also supplies fabric for high street stores such as Debenhams, M&S and Next.
Corporate clothing is another key business area for Antich & Sons, who provide cloth for British Airways’ corporate suits. The company also manufactures suits and finished garments for sale under their own or the customer’s name. Through the use of pioneering technology, the company has developed an affordable Corporate Sports Suit, which features a company’s name stitched into the weave. Previously, such individual weaving was the preserve of the rich and famous, with cloth costing anything up to £10,000.
The future for textiles
Innovation is high on the agenda and the company is heavily involved in developing new applications for textiles. In partnership with the Textile Centre of Excellence – the Huddersfield-based research and training facility that supports innovation in the textile industry - and with funding from Yorkshire Forward, the company is developing technologically advanced textiles for aerospace and military applications. Chris explained:
“When carbon fibre is woven into a 3D structure and laminated with certain substances, it becomes stronger than titanium, can withstand temperatures of almost 2,000oC and yet remains incredibly light. This offers huge opportunities for industry, including aircraft fuel efficiencies.
“Importantly, it is an area of textiles in which the district is leading the way. In fact this region is one of the most highly skilled centres in the world for 3D and technical weaving.”