Inside Our Swatch Books: Mills We Love

Open a swatch book at our atelier and you are not looking at random colours. You are looking at mills: houses that have spent decades, and sometimes centuries, refining how yarn becomes cloth. Here is how we read those books with clients, and which names we reach for most often.

What a mill actually is

A fabric mill is the weaver. It controls the fibre blend, the yarn count, the weave (twill, hopsack, plain) and the finish that makes a cloth soft, crisp, matte or luminous. A merchant may sell the cloth; the mill is why it behaves the way it does on your body and under our iron.

That is why the header on a swatch card matters. "Wool" is not one thing. A fine suiting wool and a heavier flannel can feel very different, even with the same fibre composition.

A Holland & Sherry card from our books: composition, weight and collection on the header, the cloth in your hands.

Holland & Sherry

Founded in the 1830s and long associated with Savile Row, Holland & Sherry is one of the most storied British fabric houses. We reach for their worsteds and cashmere blends when a jacket or suit should feel quietly polished rather than loud.

Expect crisp structure that still moves, and finishes that sit well on structured shoulders. A favourite for clients who want British character without a heavy, winter-only cloth.

Dormeuil

A Parisian house since 1842, Dormeuil weaves some of the world's wools, silks and cashmeres. The collections include fabrics with a soft feel, smooth drape and subtle sheen.

We use Dormeuil for pieces such as a blazer for evening, a suit that should feel special the moment you put it on. We choose the weight and weave to suit the garment.

Loro Piana

Loro Piana offers cashmere, merino wool and blends for tailored garments. Compare the samples for softness, weight and drape before choosing cloth for a jacket or dress.

Choose it when softness and longevity matter more than a sharp, dry British hand. It is not the cheapest line in the book; it is often the one clients remember touching first.

Vitale Barberis Canonico

Weaving in Biella since 1663, VBC is one of the oldest mills in the world and still one of the most practical. Their wools balance substance and finesse: enough body for a clean silhouette, enough ease for real wear.

This is the mill we cut most often for everyday women's suits. Excellent value relative to the hand, and a safe recommendation when someone says "I want it to look expensive and work hard."

Drago

Another Biella name, running since 1956 and known for superfine wools with a lightweight, elegant hand. Drago travels well, holds shape, and feels right in tailored pieces for warm Bangkok days.

Look for their more breathable lines when you want Italian polish without a heavy winter cloth. Soft drape, clean shoulder, less bulk.

Fox Brothers

A West-of-England mill weaving since 1772, Fox Brothers is known for flannels, tweeds and worsteds with real character. Hard-wearing yet refined: structured tailoring that does not feel anonymous.

Ideal for jackets that need to survive travel and air-conditioning, or for anyone who likes English cloth with a textured surface and substantial feel.

Reda and Zegna

Reda has woven in Biella since 1865 and remains a leading mill for superfine merino: silk-like drape with wool structure. A strong pick for suits that should look soft and still hold a crease.

Ermenegildo Zegna offers wool collections including Traveller and Trofeo. We compare individual cloths for weight, feel and suitability for the garment.

Between them you cover "beautiful everyday merino" and "high-performance Italian wool" without leaving the top shelf.

Spence Bryson

Spence Bryson specialises in Irish linen. We keep their books for jackets and suits, not blouses: jacketing weights around 240 to 300 g/m, cool and breathable in Bangkok heat, with the dry hand and depth of colour that cheap linen never copies.

Shirting linens are a lighter story. This is the cloth we reach for when someone wants a linen blazer or two-piece that holds a lapel, wears better every season, and creases in soft folds if the weight is right. More on how we cut it in our linen suits guide.

For shirts and blouses

Suiting mills are only half the story. For blouses and shirts we open a different set of books: crisp cottons and archive prints, not jacketing cloth.

• Thomas Mason (Albini Group, since 1796): the gold standard for shirting cottons, from crisp poplins to fine twills.
• Liberty of London: archive prints on soft Tana Lawn, a favourite for signature day blouses and dresses.
• Getzner: Austrian house since 1818, fine cottons and precise woven patterns for lighter day pieces.
• Zegna Panoramica: Ermenegildo Zegna's two-ply Giza cotton shirtings, from boardroom poplins to casual stripes and herringbones.
• Silk Shirts: silk shirting for blouses and shirts with a clean drape and a cool hand in the heat.

For a wider walk through blouse cloth and how we use it, see our women's blouses page and the fabrics we recommend.

How to read a swatch book

Bring five minutes and your hands. Feel the cloth, then scrunch it lightly and release: good suiting springs back instead of staying crumpled. Check colour in daylight if you can; atelier light is kind but not always honest.

Read the header card: composition, weight (gsm or ounces) and finish. Ask what the cloth wants to be. A soft cashmere blend is a different jacket from a dry hopsack, even at the same colour. We will translate that into silhouette, lining and whether Bangkok heat is a friend or a fight.