Craftsmanship put in the frame

John Smedley has unveiled a new photo series documenting the craftsmanship and craftspeople behind its historic brand.

The firm’s Lea Mills home, near Matlock, is the oldest operational factory in the world, dating back to 1784.

To celebrate this, John Smedley invited photographer Sophie Green in to showcase the factory in a new light and offer an exclusive behind-the-scenes insight.

Her images capture the many different stages needed to produce John Smedley’s luxurious garments, including design, knitting and the linking process.

Jane Middleton-Smith, archivist at John Smedley, said: “The linking process is where separate knitted panels are joined by being placed on the needles of a circular linking machine, one stitch per needle, by hand. This method is highly skilled and takes around two years to master.”

Still family-owned, John Smedley employs around 300 people at Lea Mills, where it manufactures around 300,000 knitwear garments each year.

Originally spinners and knitted underwear suppliers, today the firm’s jumpers, cardigans, T- and polo shirts are exported around the world.

John Smedley’s biggest single export market is Japan, where it has been doing business for more than 100 years.

To view the full series of photographs, visit John Smedley’s blog here.