When we started to conceptualise the relaunch of Aubin we knew that timeless design was paramount, and at the heart of our ethos of Better is Greater Than More. We decided that everything from the design concept, to marketing, to sourcing and production had to be all about creating clothing and accessories that would be treasured and kept for years to come.
As part of this developmental journey, we really wanted to re-kindle our relationships with UK manufacturers. We have had the pleasure of working with some of the UK's oldest wool suppliers, weavers and knit factories for many years, relationships that date back to Aubin's original launch in 2008. The products they have made for us are special and have an important story to tell. We are happy in the knowledge that by working with these British manufacturers we are helping in a small way to keep our historic textiles industry alive.
Unfortunately British manufacturing isn't as easy as it once was, once a power house in producing clothing and fabrics, the lack of skilled workers and an ageing workforce in this industry is making it incredible hard to get young people interested in it. Most of the factories we spoke to have historically employed generations of the same family, this no longer happens. This lack of desire, the pandemic and the political landscape with Brexit and migrant workers has driven productivity down when there is more desire that ever to shop locally and support British industry.
Each season we partner with knitwear specialists in the UK. William Lockie is one of these manufacturers. Lockies are based in the Scottish Borders, a company steeped in tradition and history. They date back to 1874 and are renowned for producing the softest most luxurious knitwear. We focus on traditional knit stitches, like the fisherman rib and aran and shapes like the submariner or crew. We use colour as a vehicle to make the pieces feel relevant for the season.
