Rob Charnock of Dugdale Bros & Co for British Textile Week

Rob Charnock is the chairman and owner of Huddersfield-based cloth merchants Dugdale Bros & Co, the last remaining independent cloth merchant in the centre of the town which gave the world worsted and woollen cloth.

Dugdales has been based and made its cloth in Huddersfield since it was formed in 1896, when there were more than 100 credit drapers and cloth merchants in the town. The company has stood the test of time through working with its partners at all stages of the production process to create a particular handwriting for its cloths that is unique to Huddersfield.

In this interview for British Textile Week, Rob discusses why Huddersfield has such a reputation for the finest worsted wool fabrics and how the industry can emphasise its inherent sustainable credentials.

UKFT’s British Textile Week is a digital showcase of the craftsmanship, imagination and innovation of the UK textile industry. For more information, visit www.ukft.org/britishtextileweek or follow #BritishTextileWeek on social media.