Every so often, we do a piece of work that deviates a bit from our kind of project or sector. Something to keep us sharp; to flex our creative and strategic muscles and apply our skills in a different space. Choosing when to do it and who with comes down to a few things; a bit of serendipity – who we happen to meet and get talking to around the time we’re looking for a new project. Sometimes it can be to do with purpose, or a match in values. And sometimes it’s a little bit of all of that, but also just getting sucked in by a great company, people, product or story.
So when we bumped back into an old client we’d worked with previously – Amanda McLaren – and heard that she’d moved from the high-tech manufacturer we knew her from, to take the reigns at a 250-year-old textile mill, well, we were intrigued!
The client
The textile mill in question was AW Hainsworth – a manufacturer of high quality woollen fabrics who began production in 1783. They continue today, at the same mill in Pudsey near Leeds, and owned by the same family. They’re most famous for their distinctive red military fabric, iconically worn by the Coldstream Guards and royal family. In fact, Hainsworth’s incredible fabrics have been present at moments of national significance for hundreds of years, up to and including the coronation of King Charles III. But there’s also much more to them...
The challenge
We learned that they are not standing still by any means. Despite incredible the history and provenance that comes from their work on ceremonial fabrics, they’ve diversified to produce cloth for all sorts of applications and markets, from world championship quality snooker table cloth, to protective fabrics for the fire services, high-tech luxury fabrics for aircraft interiors, and technical felt used in all sorts of unexpected industrial applications!
From Steinway grand pianos to cloaks for Harry Potter and Marvel’s Thor. It’s genuinely amazing where some of these beautiful materials end up!
Despite this incredible innovation and diversification, the brand had got a bit muddled. Hainsworth was operating under a series of different sub-brands, each of which had evolved separately with no clear strategy. The brand portfolio had become difficult to manage and relationships between sub-brands and the parent brand had become confused.
Our approach
We were in. We loved the story, the incredible old mill and machinery, the passionate artisans who work there, and the intoxicating blend of history and innovation. And of course, we love working with old clients and friends with whom we’ve had big success at their previous places of employment – it often leads to exciting new ventures together!
We agreed to help bring some order back to the brand portfolio and to create a narrative that would connect the sub-brands and the parent brand in a coherent and meaningful way. We spoke to a fascinating range of stakeholders across the business and beyond – interviewing them to understand the priorities and the evolving markets this historic business was operating in.
We got to know the business well and saw a deep-seated strong commitment to traditional craftsmanship, along with passion for technical innovation. We began referring to it as ‘the warp, and the weft’ of the business. This became the start of our work to write the new story of Hainsworth's brand and sub-brands – all on their own journey, but also all connected to the historic AW Hainsworth parent brand. Having established a robust architecture, we re-designed the Hainsworth brand and sub-brands, blending modern and traditional aesthetics, and showcasing the exceptional quality of the fabrics themselves.
As a project, some might say it’s a little ‘off brand’ for us, but I’d reject that. We never stay entirely in our lane – if we meet someone or see a business we like, that interests us and ignites some creative sparks – we’ll do it. It’s the same basic skills and process, and it pays to keep things fresh. Even if fresh – in this case – is 250 years old.
