Yorkshire cloth manufacturer, AW Hainsworth has appointed Aberfield to help it grow in key sectors and new global territories.

The company, which was established in 1783, is one of only 3 remaining vertically integrated wool cloth manufacturers in the UK, producing material for everything from aviation to fashion and snooker tables.

Leeds-based Aberfield will provide PR strategy and delivery, social media, trade show support and wider marketing activity alongside an in-house team.

The aim is to build its reputation in emerging markets in the U.S, Middle East and Far East, as well at home in the UK.

“The Aberfield team presented a compelling and commercially driven proposal that was perfectly aligned with the aims and ambitions of the business,” explained Amanda McLaren, Managing Director at AW Hainsworth.

“They were able to demonstrate how they would support our divisions in their key sectors, alongside the AW Hainsworth brand, and understood the need to tell our story as a modern, innovative, performance driven business, which is underpinned by capability, expertise and heritage.”

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For more than 240 years AW Hainsworth has manufactured and exported its products from its mill in Pudsey. It has developed fabrics and partnerships with the likes of Prada, Valentino and Clarks Originals, the distinctive scarlet tunic cloth of the Royal Guards and the technical felt in a Steinway piano key. 

It’s ECO-DRY product, a state-of-the-art fabric used in PPE worn by up to 70% of wildland firefighters in Australia recently won a King’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category.

“This was a fantastic, strategic brief to receive that we knew played to our strengths, so we are incredibly happy to have been chosen to support AW Hainsworth in the next stage of its growth,” added Tim Downs, Director at Aberfield Communications.

“Businesses with the breadth and depth of capabilities and such fascinating stories to tell are rare to find and we really can’t wait to get stuck in. Our priority is to devise a sector and territory-based communications strategy that builds the AW Hainsworth brand while providing its divisions with the autonomy and support they require. It’s a substantial challenge but one we are well equipped to help them solve and we are looking forward to building a long-term, successful relationship with a great client team.”