Five New Jobs in the West Midlands, British Millerain, and a Day on the Canals

This week I've got something I've been wanting to write for a long time. Not a sales figure or a new product, but proof. Proof that buying British-made clothing does exactly what we've always said it does.

Five New Jobs at Our Oldbury Factory

On Friday I was up at our main factory in Oldbury, in the West Midlands, for a fabric meeting. While we were walking the factory floor, I noticed a few new faces at the machines.

So I asked Pav and his dad, Suki, who run the factory. They told me they'd taken on five new people. Three started last Monday, and the other two start today, as I'm writing this.

Five new jobs in British manufacturing, created as a direct result of the work Lockwood is putting through that factory.

That right there is tangible evidence that we're growing the British economy. Not a slogan on a swing tag, but real people in real jobs here in the West Midlands, making clothing in Britain. It makes me very proud. For a long time we've said that every Lockwood piece you buy keeps British factories busy. Now we can show it. I've seen the uplift at the factory over the past months, and now there are five new people on the floor to prove it.

That's down to every one of you who has bought a smock, a gilet or a polo from us. Thank you.

British Millerain: Our Sole Wax Fabric Supplier for 2027 and Beyond

The reason I was in Oldbury on Friday was to meet Adam from British Millerain, who came down to see our production first-hand and talk through our fabric requirements for the future.

Up until now we've been using wax cotton from Halley Stevensons. We tried several times to arrange a visit to their mill, and it never came off. For us, that matters. We want to know where our cloth comes from, meet the people who make it, and see it being made. That's how we work with our factories, our button makers and everyone else in the chain.

So we reached out to British Millerain, and I'm pleased to say they'll be our sole supplier of wax fabric moving into 2027 and beyond. British Millerain have been making waxed and proofed cotton in this country for generations, and having Adam stood on the factory floor with Pav and Suki, looking at how our jackets are made, is exactly the joined-up British supply chain we want. British cloth, British factory, British jacket.

If you own one of our waxed smocks, like The Falklands you'll know how much the fabric matters. From 2027, every waxed piece we make will be British Millerain cloth.

A Day on the Canals at Milton Keynes

Saturday was a day off. We went out with Ruth's side of the family and hired a narrowboat for the day on the canals at Milton Keynes. No laptops, no phones ringing, just a slow day on the water with family. Lovely. After the last few months, it was exactly what we needed. (although we did film just a bit of content, ruth made me promise we wouldn't have the camera out all day) 

Sunday: Content, and the Gatcombe and Sandringham in the Saddle

On Sunday we headed down to Cirencester to film some content, and then went to visit one of our sponsored riders, Lilia Chippendale.

The reason for the visit was to see our upcoming ladies' trench coats, the Gatcombe and its sister the Sandringham, on horseback. These were never designed as riding coats. They're ladies' waxed trench coats, and the first we've ever made. But a lot of our customers ride, and I wanted to see how they sit in the saddle and what changes we'd need to make to turn them into a proper riding coat in future. 

Watching Lilia ride in them told us a lot. Things like the length, the back vent and how the coat sits over the saddle all behave differently once you're mounted, and that's the kind of thing you only find out by testing it properly. We'll be taking those notes back to the factory. More on that soon.

What's Coming

• The Gatcombe and Sandringham ladies' trench coats, pre order news towards the end of this month
• British Millerain wax cotton across our waxed range from 2027
• More content from Sunday's shoot, filmed on the new camera
• More updates from Oldbury as the team there grows

Every time you buy British, you're keeping a factory busy and, as this week proves, you're helping create jobs. That's what Lockwood is about. Have a browse of the smocks, gilets and polo tops, or the full range, all made right here in the UK.

God bless, God save the King.

Jacob Lockwood