WEAVE THROUGH HISTORY
Sudbury in Suffolk, England, had been a centre of silk weaving since the arrival of Huguenot weavers in the 19th Century, and it was here that Reginald Warner established the Gainsborough Silk Weaving Co. Ltd in 1903, immediately earning a reputation for high quality Damasks, tapestries and velvets.
Initially formed from Reginald Warner’s personal collection of European samples and fabric tomes acquired from the Ipswich Weaving Co., successive generations of weavers and designers have built on those foundations with contemporary collections and bespoke commissions that speak of the eras in which they were conceived.
The result is an archive of over 7,000 designs that spans the warp of weaving history and the weft of creative expression, from the very traditional to the thoroughly avant-garde.
The archive is made up of the records we maintain of each new fabric woven, and has ever been woven, at Gainsborough. Clients looking for something extra special will find it here.
BESPOKE COMMISSIONS
Gainsborough was conceived in part as a specialist in historical reproductions, drawing on many of the designs Reginald Warner bought from European mills, overlaid with an English interpretation. To this day demand remains strong for our extensive archive of historical designs and weave effects dating back as far as the 15th Century.
As well as historical reproductions, equal prominence was given from the outset to contemporary design and bespoke commissions, and Liberty, Henry Ford and William Morris & Co. were among the significant customers of Gainsborough from its earliest days.
A notable long-standing association began during the Edwardian era. While Gainsborough would later produce substantial quantities of fabric for the Cunard Line, our first commission came from the White Star Line, which merged with Cunard in 1934. The order was for a bespoke green damask to adorn the grand new liner that would come to symbolize luxury on the high seas: the RMS Titanic. Designed in 1903, this custom baroque design was woven for the White Star Line to decorate the walls of the Titanic’s first-class dining room.
BY ROYAL APPOINTMENT
A length of gold-colored silk damask, donated by Gainsborough to the Suffolk Regiment’s Chapel at St Mary’s Church in Bury St Edmunds, caught the attention of HRH Princess Margaret during her visit as Deputy Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Anglian Regiment. At the time, the princess required a special quantity of Royal Stuart Tartan, to be woven into sashes for members of the Royal Family in celebration of the Queen Mother’s 80th birthday. She visited the Mill personally to oversee the request.
To ensure the fabric met exacting standards, Queen Victoria’s ceremonial sash was sent to Gainsborough for reference on the precise fabric construction and fiber colorations, which had to be replicated exactly. This led to a semi-manual process using a modified dobby loom. The resulting silk fabric was spectacular, and Gainsborough was honored to receive a personal letter from the princess, accompanied by a photograph of the Royal Family wearing the sashes.
The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981 further strengthened the company’s bond with the Royal Family, as Gainsborough provided fabrics for three state coaches, followed by many more carriages in the years that followed.
Since 1981, Gainsborough have proudly held a Royal Warrant for their walling, curtains and upholstery services in royal palaces including Buckingham Palace, St James’s Palace, Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle, and more recently in carriages for the weddings of the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
DIVERSIFICATION
Gainsborough Fabrics has been featured in the sets of films and TV shows such as Pirates of the Caribbean and Downton Abbey. Renowned fashion designers like Giles Deacon and Christopher Kane have incorporated Gainsborough fabrics into their couture collections. The priestly vestments at St. Paul’s Cathedral were made using fabric from our mill, and bespoke interiors for Bentley cars, Globe-Trotter suitcases, yachts, private planes, and even restored VW camper vans all bear the Gainsborough touch. In fact, we weave a special checked pattern in various colours specifically for these camper vans.
The success of the business over the past 115 years can be attributed to a unique flexibility, allowing us to meet the needs of both large and small clients. Very few mills can offer such a wide range of collections and styles, while also weaving custom designs with minimum order lengths as low as 20 metres.
Just as in 1903, the only aspect of our work that is non-negotiable is the quality of the product leaving our mill. In an age of standardisation, mass production, and cost-cutting, values like commitment, craftsmanship, and integrity still play an important role.