Her first visit saw her meeting staff at Sudbury Silk Mills, which weaves fabrics for three exclusive companies; Stephen Walters, David Walters and Humphries Weaving. Employing over one hundred people, they combine traditional artisanal design and weaving with the latest cutting-edge technology to produce fabrics of exceptional quality. There are over 40 state of the art looms in operation at the mill, producing a wide range of fabrics all custom-woven to order for leading fashion houses, interior designers, and heritage institutions.
Sudbury Silk Mills places great emphasis on its people and the local community, and takes pride in generating employment for local people into roles with training and long-term development, enabling them to grow their skills and knowledge. During her visit, The Princess spent time with the design team and observe the creative process, from using Sudbury’s archives for inspiration to drawing designs by hand that will be used in future fabric creations. Her Royal Highness then went onto the weaving floor to meet members of the production team, hear about their work and view the weaving looms in operation, before observing the quality control process and final inspections of finished woven fabric.
Later today, Kate Middleton will visit Marina Mill in Cuxton, Kent, a family business that specialises in hand designing and screen- printing furnishing fabrics. Marina Mill, established in 1967, is known for its artisan craftsmanship throughout the production process, from hand-drawing all the artwork in their studio to screen-printing the designs entirely by hand. Based in an old Victorian mill on the banks of the River Medway, a small team of 9 employees produce the fabrics using the traditional silk-screen method, and are all highly skilled in hand-printing, colour mixing and screen-making.
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