cluny lace co ltd storytelling with nottingham lace artisans
cluny lace co ltd storytelling with nottingham lace artisans
THE STORY OF A REMARKABLE FAMILY Since the first time I immersed myself in this study on Nottingham lace, the name of the Mason family has been very recurrent. Throughout my context immersion in the local lace community, Mrs Sheila Mason sounded like the key reference person to draw information from. Armed with lots of curiosity, it was not a cakewalk for me time to join all the dots, but I am glad to finally be able to tell the incredible story of this family, which has marked the development of Nottingham lace. Someone could question the scope and possible contribution of design to the longterm sustainability of Nottingham lace, given the complex challenges that local manufacturing has experienced for the last decades. However, I hope the reader will understand that this study challenges the traditional idea of design as aimed to develop creative products and aesthetics. Going beyond that, this design research aims to elicit tacit knowledge about artisanal businesses to inform the co-design of strategies and services that contribute to achieve a sustainable future. I am delighted that Mr Charles Mason has given me the opportunity to visit his mill, observe his work routine and share his knowledge of making meaningful lace, in order to encourage reflection and awareness of issues of cultural, social, economic and environmental sustainability.
ILKESTON, THE CRADLE OF A HERITAGE MILL Funnily enough, the cradle of this traditional Nottingham lace is not located in Nottinghamshire, but at the border of it, in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, just a short bus drive from Nottingham city centre. On my way to the mill, I imagined the whirring of lace machinery in the golden age of Nottingham lace manufacturing. Once in Belper Street, it was easy to spot a massive red brick building, home of the well-known Cluny Lace Co Ltd. Given the time constraints of a manager running a small business and committed to many work travels, we agreed to squeeze our engagement into one meeting. I am so glad Mr Mason devoted a full afternoon to me; that was enough to collect in-depth information about the past, present and future of this heritage business.
IT IS DIFFICULT TO TRACK ALL THE HISTORY Cluny Lace Co Ltd is a family business which has involved three generations of the Mason family so far. Since 1989 Mr Charles Mason has been in charge of running the company, as managing director; however, within a small artisanal business, he plays different roles and is not really bothered with titles. Mr Mason studied textiles management at Leeds University, and then he learned the technical side of his job in the factory. His children are still too young to know if they are interested in working in the factory. Mr Mason welcomed me in his office to tell me the remarkable story of his business, which has always been run by one or two members of his family. His parents Mr John and Mrs Sheila Mason are members of the Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters, one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, together with Mr Hurt, another key protagonist of this study. It is difficult to clearly track back all the history of the business; in fact, it was not always registered as a limited company and there are not many records of the business in its early days. Throughout its history, the company has had different names; in 1919, when it was managed by Charles’ grandfather, the company was called FNC Mason Ltd and then, in 1975, it became Cluny Lace Co Ltd.
THE OLDEST LOCAL LACE MANUFACTURER Cluny Lace is still actively engaged in local manufacturing of Leavers lace, a delicate fabric made of thread in an open web-like pattern. There is a large variety of types of lace, but Cluny Lace is surely the oldest active manufacturer of traditional Nottingham lace. Being it machinemade, it challenges the vernacular of artisanship, but the small scale of production and the size of such a family business with a heritage knowhow and direct human control over the whole manufacturing process surely makes it a relevant artisanal case study. More precisely, Cluny Lace may be considered a cottage industry, a small scale industry. The mill was built in 1880 and the Leavers machines in it are even older than that, all coming from the local area. In Ilkeston there were mainly Leavers lace machines; they work in a way in which threads are twisted together to make lace in the same way as the lace makers used to do by hand. The original inventor of this machine, John Heathcote, is said to have spent a great deal of time observing the movement of a lace-maker’s fingers while she worked her tulle network. Such machines have been described as the most complicated textile machines in the world.
CLUNY, A GEOMETRICAL STYLE Probably there are no key differentiator features for the typical Nottingham lace apart from its geographical provenance. Therefore, cluny lace just happens to be a style of Nottingham lace because it is made here. Among all the lace styles (e.g. Chantilly, Valencian, etc), cluny lace is a geometric design. This may be due to the geographical origin, since Ilkeston was specialised in this style of lace, used for household textiles like tablecloths, chair backs, antimacassars; not surprisingly, geometrical designs were suitable to square tables, bedspreads and such things. Laces in the Cluny style could be manufactured through any type of construction process, either embroidery or Leavers machines, which produce the closest to handmade lace. Nobody really knows the real history of the Cluny denomination, besides knowing that it derives from abbĂŠ de Cluny, in the of North of Lyons, France. Traditionally, in France there were lots of abbeys, monasteries where nuns or monks made lace by hand, for priests, churches and the aristocracy, maybe 3 or 4 hundreds of years ago. In Europe, religious orders still make handmade lace nowadays.
DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM OLD PATTERNS At Cluny’s they do not make brand new designs, but they use thousands of old patterns which cannot be technically redrawn with the same quality by anybody else alive. Such drawings are transferred into sheets with numbers, based on which someone else transfers the pattern into a Jacquard card.
USING 250 CARDS PUNCHED BY HANDS Nowadays, Cluny Lace uses a range of 250 cards still produced internally, punched by hand. They last 20 or 30 years and need replacing every so often. The cards could be mechanised, like it is done in France, but using digital cards would mean changing to a digital format, which is quite expensive and complex.
MAKING SKILLS ARE LOST As most of the drafting skills have disappeared, it is no longer possible to make new technical patterns. However, for developing new laces, the company has always drawn inspiration from its collection of old patterns. Since other lace factories have closed down, Cluny Lace has bought their range of patterns, or has been donated them; now the factory has tens of thousands of them. The loss of skills is also of the factors for the survival of Cluny Lace. In fact, the kind of lace produced here is the finest that the best draftsman could ever made. For instance, in the 1950s there was a drafting school in Long Eaton, training around 20 people every year, but only the top 2 or 3 ever carried on the work of drafting. At Cluny Lace they use this type of drafts for their patterns, which used to be done by hands in 2 or 3 weeks, and are almost impossible to be copied nowadays. They are currently rescuing such drafts, with the intention to restore them.
RUNNING AN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS The Mason family has been independent and self-supporting in running its own business for so long. They believe this is far better than relying on the support of any local organisations (e.g. the University, the Arts Council England, the Royal Society of Arts), whose marketing support could not bring real benefit to the business, considering that fashion trends unavoidably change continuously. Even in terms of manufacturing clusters, there is nobody left locally with whom Cluny Lace could collaborate, since all the lace companies in Ilkeston have closed down. However, Cluny Lace collaborates with some French companies in Calais for dyeing and finishing its laces.
A PROMISING REJOINING OF STAFF Although one may think of an artisanal manufacturer of lace as a declining business, the company currently employs about 22 people, a few more than it was a couple of years ago. Hopefully, the company has still received good commissions for the last three years and they managed to replace the retired workers with new craftswomen re-joining the factory, for example after their children grew up and left for school. That was a terrific achievement, considering the current lack of skilled workforce in the lace sector. Most of the current staff is local people from Nottingham, working full-time in the factory.
NO NEED FOR FURTHER STAFF At Cluny’s they have not had many student internships, apart from the case of one guy on work experience in management who was responsible for looking for customers. In fact, the company is quite able to run all the work it needs to be done and does not need further employees; anyway, Charles thinks it would be time consuming for them to teach how to handle the machines.
SUPPLIES OF COTTON AND NYLON Cluny Lace’s supply chain begins with getting the yarns, a single filament of 90% to 95% cotton, in natural ecru colour (imported from Egypt) and nylon which ties all the cotton together and holds it like a weave (nylon is bought from a huge firm in Italy). Without the nylon, the cotton lace would fall to pieces. In Southern England, in Gloucester Du Pont there was a nylon supplier, but it shut down a long time ago. Cluny Lace uses at least five different types of cotton; it is not organic cotton because, to their knowledge, there is not stability of supplies of it and the cost would not be viable.
PRODUCING LACE FOR GARMENTS At Cluny’s they have tried all sorts of styles, constructions and machines in the past, but mainly they produce fabrics – the lace – and sell them to other companies which then manufacture mainly fashion items and household textiles.
OLD MACHINES ARE STILL UP AND RUNNING There are 16 Leavers machines at Cluny Lace, all old, aged from 1902 to 1960, which probably have cost around ÂŁ500 originally. They are still all up and running; some of them have been reconditioned and can now last for other 20 or 30 years. Maintaining the machines is a complex issue, especially because there are not many people skilled to repair them. When machines wear out, certain parts need to be reconditioned; this specialist engineering work is done by technicians at Lace Manufacturers, another company based next door to Cluny Lace.
TECHNOLOGY HAS NOT CHANGED The technology to make lace has not changed, but other manufacturers in the Far East are trying to copy this kind of lace on different style machines, like embroidery machines or lace warped knitting machines. In this way, they are able to produce a fabric that looks similar to Leavers lace, but it is lower quality, using nylon, and rarely cotton. Such machines run at very high speeds and the cotton is not strong enough for that, and produces a lot of fly and dusts.
ANCILLARY WORK IS DONE BY HAND Although cluny lace is machine-made, some ancillary work is done by hand. This entails preparing and running the machine, and making finer adjustments, like making the appearance of the pattern alright on the machine, or changing the weight on the tensions on different yarns during the manufacturing process.
A SLOW AND MANAGEABLE PRODUCTION The scale of production varies a lot and cannot really be quantified because it ranges from few centimetres to 1.40 meter wide. The widest lace produced is 4.70 meters wide – and then it is cut into 3 – or 6.40 meters wide – but this is already cut in 2 sections as it is made. The production is quite slow and very manageable; there is not always something to do at the machinery. In case of fast orders, that is going to be a problem since there are no skilled workers who could be hired temporarily. Neither the cost of production can be quantified easily. Finally, as long as consumers look after the product (avoiding natural sunlight that could degrade the fibre), lace is expected to last a long time, from 20 to 50 years or so.
OUTSOURCED FINISHING After the lace is made, it needs to be inspected and mended by the hands of highly skilled staff. Finishing processes are done in Calais, where the lace is washed and piece-dyed in white, black or any other colour, and then dried. Some companies, like K Marshall, buy cluny laces, trim and sell them to other people.
THERE WERE PLENTY OF DYE HOUSES Traditionally, there were no dye houses in Ilkeston, but there were plenty in Nottingham, near the Lace Market area, as well as in Stapleford and Long Eaton. Probably, most of the lace used to be transported from Ilkeston into the Lace Market by the canal, or by horse and carriage. For instance, for a hundred of years or so, most of the company’s lace used to be dyed in a huge building next to Nottingham railway station, which is now house of the restaurant chain Hooters. Even in the heart of the Nottingham Lace Market, the current Cobden Place was a former lace finishing factory; after being abandoned, a few years ago it got refurbished and repurposed to host local independent designers’ shops, a coworking space for local businesses and a cafe, also open to community events. This is the place I hired for conducting my co-creation workshop; the managing director of the Cobden Place was very excited about hosting my event, especially due to the connection with the lace heritage of the venue.
SELLING TO THE MAJOR FASHION BRANDS Cluny Lace sells its lace to any wealthy countries all around the world (mainly in Europe, but also in the USA and Japan) to the major fashion brands which can afford it. For example, Burberry has got all its fabric supplies from Cluny Lace for its collection in 2016, not only for womenswear, but also menswear, for shirts and ties. This is contributing to promote the company name and raise its reputation. However, this is not just a one-off episode. In fact, over the years, the company has provided lace to some of the major fashion brands in Italy, for example Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, to name but a few. Also local small brands, like the bridal dress designer Kula Tsurdiu buys some amounts of fabrics from Cluny Lace. Another English brand that produces ties using cluny laces is Marwood. Paul Smith, from Nottingham has used cluny laces in the past, but he hasn’t done so for the last 4 or 5 years, especially since he is mainly a menswear designer; instead, womenswear – where lace is used the most – is just a side issue to his main line.
SELLING MAINLY THROUGH AGENTS Since they produce fabrics and not garments, there is no need for a shop or a retailer; even online sales are not much suitable to the kind of business customers Cluny Lace deals with. On the company website all the stockists are listed; product catalogues are available for overseas buyers, but most of the sales are done through agents or importers. There is a different agent in each country; in fact, it is far better if he/she speaks the same language and this practice appears more professional than if a manufacturer would deal with buyers. However, agents charge a fee; therefore, it is more convenient when customers purchase directly from the manufacturer, and this is manageable by Cluny Lace within the UK.
PRICES VARIES A LOT When an order is received, reference boards help to identify the product codes; then it is just a matter of packaging (shrink wrapping the product in a nylon bag) and shipping the order. As sales are done in different countries and currencies and through different agents, prices vary a lot, therefore are not indicated in the website as they would just confuse the customers. Although there are no amount limits for the orders, students rarely buy at Cluny Lace, because their products are too expensive, unless they have a sponsor and can get some lace for free or are given some lace by the factory itself; alternatively, Cluny Lace also sells some second quality lace on Ebay.
EVER-CHANGING TRENDS All in all, the business is economically selfsustainable, especially at the time being, having received successful commissions from large fashion brands. Trends can change anyway, and household textiles may come back to fashion, as well as bridal lace, although the cluny style is geometrical and not as suitable to bridal dresses as other floral patterns. For example, in Nottingham Kula Tsurdiu makes bridal dresses locally; Angela Vickers is another local bridal dress hand-maker, but she has not used cluny laces so far. Theoretically, also lace lingerie could rise as a sector, but it is unlikely that it will happen, because of overseas competition of cheap products. For example, Mary Portas, supplied the lace from Nottingham-based Douglas Gill Ltd to produce the ‘Kinky Knickers’ lingerie collection. The collection is no more on production because of price competition; such items were sold at around £10 while Marks & Spencer was doing an offer of 3 items for £12 roughly. Rod Gill has now shut down the factory.
ADVERTISED IN LIFESTYLE MAGAZINES Besides the company website, Charles’ sister has also set up a Facebook page, through which they can be contacted and receive orders, but this has hardly ever happened. In terms of promotion, the Nottingham City Council’s website has published articles on Cluny Lace over the years, but Mr Mason is sceptical that this could have a positive impact on the sales, since there are not many fashion brands locally to become potential customers. On their end, as part of their marketing, fashion brands using cluny laces promote it as Made in England, but are not expected to communicate the name of the fabric manufacturer. Fashion design brands using cluny laces have been advertised in lifestyle magazines, which the company keeps on display, for its own internal communication purposes.
TELLING THE STORY BEFORE IT GETS LOST Charles’ mother, Mrs Sheila Mason wanted to wright a light-hearted book about the trade of Nottingham lace, when she realised that most of her interviewees were aging. Therefore, she decided to collect further information and document it before it was lost forever. She has collaborated with the Lace Heritage Research Group at Nottingham Trent University (NTU).
A BIT OF LUCK HELPED MOVING FORWARD Honestly, Mr Mason admitted that a mixture of different factors has helped the company to move forward, combined with a bit of luck. A success factor is the small size of the factory that allows running the whole mill with relatively low costs, keeping the bills down in a pretty manageable way. Also, Cluny Lace is pretty busy with commissions at the time being, which is a great luck in times of austherity.
“now is the time to begin building better alternatives, crafting more compelling stories and engaging with a wider group of people. a window of opportunity has opened and time will tell if we choose to unleash the unprecedented potential for change we now face� andrew morgan (the true cost)
FRANCESCO MAZZARELLA PhD researcher at Loughborough Design School Funded by the AHRC Design Star CDT Supervised by V. Mitchell, A.J. May & M.C. Escobar-Tello With the invaluable contribution of all the artisans who kindly offered their time, knowledge and enthusiasm for this research project.
FRANCESCO MAZZARELLA PhD researcher at Loughborough Design School Throughout my doctoral journey at Loughborough Design School, I investigated artisan businesses manufacturing heritage textiles, having a meaningful story to tell. I started focusing on textiles due to its high employment of skilled artisans, wide range of applications, and ever-�increasing consumption trends, causing urgent environmental challenges. Since small businesses cannot compete with mass manufacturers, I decided to narrow down the scope of my research on the stories that artisans convey through their socially and culturally significant processes and products. Looking at the context which surrounded me, I found the story of Nottingham lace very meaningful. Here, all the landscape and architecture are marked by the strong presence of lace factories, but new generations are forgetting this heritage. With this in mind, I conducted contextual interviews aimed to showcase the people who are actively involved in the Nottingham lace supply chain, yet whose voice is hardy ever heard. This photo-story is part of a storytelling study, conducted in January and February 2016 with selected Nottingham lace artisans. I collaborated with Cluny Lace Co Ltd (the oldest local manufacturer of traditional Nottingham Leavers lace), G.H. Hurt & Son Ltd (a family business producing heritage lacy knitwear like shawls and scarves) and JC Middlebrook (a designer making embroidered lace into jewellery and accessories). Each artisan gave me a guided tour of the factory, while explaining the current work and related
routines. The aim of the first meeting was to understand what being a Nottingham lace artisan means for them nowadays. The second meeting aimed to aid the artisans in making sense of what a sustainable future may look like for their businesses and identify the challenges and opportunities for a transition towards sustainability. Throughout this study, I have captured the artisans’ intangible stories and made them tangible in the form of photostories, using a diary-like text and photographs taken in the factories while documenting their practices. This collection of photo-stories was then shared with other local stakeholders in the second part of this participatory design research. After this series of individual interviews, a co-creation workshop was organised as a platform to codesign strategies and services for Nottingham lace artisans to achieve a sustainable future. In order to avoid that future generations of designers, artisans and customers forget their local material culture, this storytelling study intends to show that there is still enthusiasm around Nottingham lace and this is a great opportunity for designers to activate meaningful social innovations within this context.