page_title: East Midlands
section_title: Textiles and clothing
hierarchical_section_title: East Midlands / Economy / Textiles and clothing
caption_attribution_description: English: Lea Bridge - John Smedley Mill - Factory Shop
context_page_description: The East Midlands is one of nine official regions of England at the first level of NUTS for statistical purposes. It consists of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland. The region has an area of 15,627 km², with a population over 4.5 million in 2011. There are six main urban centres, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln, Mansfield, Northampton and Nottingham. Others include Boston, Chesterfield, Corby, Grantham, Hinckley, Kettering, Loughborough, Newark-on-Trent, Skegness, Wellingborough, and Worksop.
  Relative proximity to London and its position on the national motorway and trunk road networks help the East Midlands to thrive as an economic hub. Nottingham and Leicester are each classified as a sufficiency-level world city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.
  The region is primarily served by East Midlands Airport, which lies between Derby, Loughborough and Nottingham.
context_section_description: The fashion company Paul Smith is in Lenton. The lingerie companies Gossard, Aristoc, Pretty Polly, and Berlei (formerly owned by Courtaulds, now CUK Clothing) were based in Daybrook; most of their hosiery was made at West Mill in Belper. Speedo International Limited is on the ng2 business park on Queens Drive (near Experian, formerly in Bobbers Mill on the A610 near Basford before 2010). Its LZR Racer suit helped Michael Phelps win eight golds at the 2008 Olympics. In Enderby, on the B582 close to the M69 and a large electricity substation, is Next, created by George Davies in 1981, which is the largest company in the region (and the Midlands) by number of employees with 59,000, and has the second largest turnover (£3 billion) of companies headquartered in the region, after Boots (£6 billion).
  Boden (clothing) is on the Meridian estate in Leicester. Wolsey (clothing) is off the A563 in the northeast of Leicester, east of Rushey Mead. Monarch Knitting Machinery UK is in Beaumont Leys. Scott Nichol make traditional socks in Hinckley. HJ Hall of Hinckley are a larger company, who own Pantherella, who make socks in Leicester. Per Una have a factory near Cossington and the A46/A607 junction. Much of Britain's lingerie and hosiery is made in the region. Crystal Martin UK make lingerie (for clothing chains) off the B6018 in the south of Sutton-in-Ashfield, near the A38 bypass. Wacoal Europe (former Eveden) makes lingerie on the B576 (former A6) in Desborough. Guilford Europe (former Guilford Kapwood), at Somercotes, makes fabric (warp knitting) for sports clothing and automotive products, and have been owned by Lear Corporation since 2012.
  Many footwear companies such as Shoe Zone (which bought out Stead and Simpson), are based in Leicester. Brantano Footwear UK, based in Leicester before 2002, were in Ellistown and Battleflat until March 2017, just south of Coalville near M1 junction 22, nearby to Nestlé's national distribution centre. Loake make shoes at Kettering, and have a Royal appointment. Church's Shoes are at Northampton are also high quality and Barker Shoes are at Earls Barton. Joseph Cheaney & Sons are in Desborough near the Midland Main Line. Tricker's shoes in Northampton have a royal warrant. Sanders & Sanders and Grenson make shoes in Rushden. Jeffery West make shoes off the A4501 in Cliftonville, east Northampton, near Northampton General Hospital and the head office of Northampton Borough Council. Off the A428 near the hospital is Edward Green Shoes. Crockett & Jones make high-class shoes in the northeast of Northampton, towards Abington, and are the only main shoe factory left in the town. Dr. Martens were until 2003 made at Irthlingborough. The BLC Leather Technology Centre is in Moulton and SATRA, in west Kettering, both conduct footwear research. Aspex make sports sunglasses in Moulton, near Moulton College.
  Hammonds, the furniture company, is in Hinckley. Sports Direct is based in Shirebrook on an old Bolsover coal mine. Wade Spring, the UK's leading manufacturer of upholstery springs, is in Long Eaton off the A6005; next-door at the Trent Business Centre is Sunspel, who introduced the t-shirt to the British market; nearby Meadowmead make premium furniture off the B6540, and Aga Rangemaster Group make kitchen sinks; on the other side of railway Gill (clothing), who make marine clothing. Duresta Upholstery is in Long Eaton, with a factory of DFS opposite. Anstey Wallpaper Company in Loughborough, makes high-end wallpaper, south of the town on the east side of the railway in the former Ladybird offices and factory. Fogarty (company) make duvets and pillows in Fishtoft, Boston, next to The Haven. W&G Sissons on the Chesterfield Est, now owned by Franke, has been the UK's largest manufacturer of stainless steel sinks since the 1950s. Leaderflush Shapland (owned by SIG plc) make doors near the A608/A610 junction at Aldercar and Langley Mill. Parker Knoll make high-end furniture off the B6016 on the Greenhill Industrial Estate, south of Alfreton. Greene, Tweed UK (elastomers) is in Ruddington next to Experian.
caption: John Smedley factory at Lea Mills: the oldest continuously-working factory in the world
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