All Mix Blog

'The harsh and sad reality is that for the past few decades the majority of British factories, mills, weavers, finishers and textile suppliers have all ceased to exist but we are now more determined than ever to foster and revitalise the profile and general awareness of British manufacturers and remind the world that the UK has always and will continue to make the very finest garments.' James Eden, Private White V.C Tonight at 1930hrs on Channel Four there is a 30 minute documentary on life at Cooper & Stollbrand , the factory behind Private White V.C. We are looking forward to seeing it. Image from Cooper & Stollbrand

A recent article in This England magazine (a title firmly rooted in nostalgia and unashamedly so) focusses on Cussons, the soap manufacturer beloved by middle England housewives for its Imperial Leather bars. This then led us to looking further in to the history of Cussons' presence in the UK. Sadly the old premises (in Kersal, Salford) were demolished earlier this year but the company has replaced this with a state of the art (read bland/soulless from the exterior) building in nearby Agecroft, according to the Salford Star . The new factory and innovation centre is Cussons' only remaining manufacturing premises in the UK, the company having had a presence in Nottingham until 2005 . Image of Cussons' soap factory from Stephen Broadhurst on flickr Cussons' Lather Shave Cream advert from Paul Carrington on flickr