The fashion label keeping Manchester’s textile heritage alive.
Salford’s industrial backstreets aren’t where you’d expect to spot limousines, yet they’ve become a familiar sight outside Private White V.C., the last standing factory from its industrial heyday.
Clients fly in from Europe, America and Japan to re-stock their wardrobes; famous names include Eddie Redmayne, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan and far too many premier league footballers to mention. The Great British Sewing Bee judge, Patrick Grant is also a fan.
‘Timeless, handmade clothing, inspired by great men like Private White, will never go out of style,’ says CEO, James Eden. With genuine heritage woven into every piece, it’s little wonder the brand has become a favourite among men who take their sartorial image seriously.
That heritage is deeply personal to James. His great-grandfather, Jack White – better known as Private White – was awarded the Victoria Cross for saving the life of his commanding officer while serving with the Royal Lancaster Regiment during the First World War.
After the war, Private White returned to this very building, then a raincoat factory, where he started as a pattern cutter before eventually buying the business. He passed away in 1949, aged 52. In 2007, his great grandchildren united to bring the company back into family ownership.
James himself first worked here as a teenager sweeping floors, before studying Economics at Cambridge and building a career in finance. ‘As time passed, I realised that I wasn’t fulfilled and so, in 2012, I took the plunge and returned.
‘At that time, we were making clothes for luxury labels like Burberry, but I wanted to make our own clothes. Obviously, we needed a new name. It didn’t take a lot of head scratching to use the name of my great grandfather,’ he says.
Under his leadership, Private White V.C. has become synonymous with understated elegance. Knitwear is produced in Scotland by the same makers that supply knitwear for Chanel, but everything else – from design and pattern cutting to the final stitch – is done in-house by highly skilled members of staff, many of whom have been here for decades.
The factory still relies on many of the same traditional methods and handcraftsmanship that have defined it for over a century. Bolts of cloth still travel upstairs via the original hoist, the old band saw still cuts fabric, and military-grade copper hardware, such as buttons, is still incorporated into garments, a tribute to his great-grandfather’s heroics.
‘We don’t use logos, or seek celebrity endorsements,’ James notes. ‘Clothing made with traditional techniques and the finest raw materials doesn’t need to shout. Like our style, we prefer to whisper, and that’s been enough.’
That whisper has reached the ears of luxury brands such as Bremont and Bentley. Collaborations include a coveted limited-edition flight jacket with Bremont and a one-off Bentley Bentayga Azure, featuring bespoke copper-stitched upholstery, cashmere cushions in the brand’s regimental stripe, and even a silhouette of the factory engraved in the wood veneer.
Visitors, whether arriving by Bentley or bicycle, are often surprised by what they find inside the Victorian building on the banks of the River Irwell. The store occupies the ground floor, while the working factory hums above. ‘I suppose they might be expecting something a bit dusty but instead they see a a bright luxurious and stylish space with exposed brickwork and a cutting room style display table, where they can browse at leisure,’ says James.
He delights in showing clients around the workrooms and archives – the largest independent collection in the country, including the coats worn by the 1966 England football team. Some archival designs inspire new collections, others draw from Lancashire history and figures such as L.S. Lowry.
‘I’m a huge fan of L.S. Lowry who knew this area very well. He used a palette of only five colours, so we echoed that in our Lowry collection. I’m sure he would have loved our British Racing Green Ventile Mac, made from a material developed at Churchill’s request to protect RAF pilots if they landed in water,’ says James.
Private White V.C. also offers bespoke options, from Raglan sleeves and detachable cashmere linings to discreet personal touches. ‘We’ve embroidered clients’ dogs’ names into shooting jackets and tucked away the initials of a special lady’ says James. Women, too, can commission their own pieces. ‘We made a coat for Princess Anne when she visited, and other clients include Kate Moss, Stella McCartney, and Cath Kidston,’ he adds.
The result is clothing built to last generations. ‘Our garments are designed to stand the test of time,’ says James. ‘That’s why we offer a lifetime repair service. We want both our clothing – and our heritage – to endure.’
