The Production
Process
John Smedley has built its reputation for quality by creating fully fashioned - where our knitting machines produce custom pre-shaped pieces of a garment - fine-gauge knitwear from only the very best materials. The gauge refers to how many needles per inch and the more needles, the finer the fabric. Most manufacturers create knitwear from a maximum 24-gauge machines, but that's John Smedley's minimum.
The production process for each piece is extremely rigorous, from choosing the best available fibre to the meticulous hand-finishing techniques used by John Smedley's craftsmen and women. Watch the video below to find out more about what goes into making a Smedley garment.
The following 12 steps give an insight into what happens inside our Lea Mills factory in Derbyshire.
Full of colour
It's John Smedley's eye for detail that sets us apart. That's why all our garments are dyed to our specifications and to our specially selected seasonal colour palette. Our Merino garments are made from yarn that has already been dyed to give it such deep colours and superb colour fastness, which means it won't fade or bleed.
The finest Derbyshire spring water from our own natural source is used for wet finishing and dyeing.
