English Fine Cottons is proud to reveal our luxurious 400 thread count percale bedding that has a British heritage you won’t find anywhere else.
As well as being the product of some of the UK’s finest manufacturing and 100 years of craftsmanship and expertise, the Tabley collection is the result of a nationwide search and a large amount of grit and determination.
Our general manager Andy Ogden explained: “When we first went into production, it became possible to make cotton products entirely in Britain again, for the first time in decades.
”But even then, making 100% British-made bed-linen looked like it may be a pipe dream. We could not find a British weaver with a loom big enough to make sheeting - it seemed we’d lost them all when we lost the cotton industry.”
Re-linking a supply chain
The search continued until our then sales VP Tracy Hawkins had a hunch and located a weaver of technical fabrics with a loom the right size.
Once this vital link in the supply chain was connected, production could get underway, working with highly skilled finishers and prestigious bed linen manufacturers - both of course based in the UK.
Andy said: “It’s something we’ve always said since the beginning, it isn’t enough to just start spinning cotton if we wanted to help bring back the cotton industry.
”Much of our work would also be about reforging manufacturing chains and finding the right partners to work with.
“We’ve had lots of success in lots of areas of manufacturing, but bed-linen was the biggest challenge to date.”
From hard work comes a good rest
But while the story of the making of the Tabley bed sheets is one of hard work, sleeping on them definitely won’t be.
For many people, the feeling of slipping in between crisp, fresh bed sheets is unbeatable, but what about when those sheets are made from the finest cotton in the world?
Our extra-long-staple premium cotton yarns woven have been woven into an impossibly smooth and soft 400 thread count percale fabric.
Percale is a fabric commonly used for bedding because of it’s medium weight and close weave, which means it’s smooth and washes well.
The super-fine fibres in our star grade Supima cotton result in supremely comfortable and lustrous fabrics and their extra length add strength for highly durable bedding.
Minimal fuss, maximum luxury
Andy said the minimal design of the collection hopefully reflects its British heritage and the quality of the fabric.
He said: “We wanted to keep it simple and classic. Certainly, when we saw and felt the quality of the sheets we felt that minimising any design features was the right thing to do - we wanted the beauty of the cotton fabric to speak for itself.
”But we also wanted to provide something that was practical. White sheets will go with any decor and there are no trimmings so you can wash them at high temperature and they iron well.
“They’re luxurious and feel very special, but they’re also durable and minimal. They’ll last for a very long time and stay looking good.”
The bed-set includes plain pillowcases, a fitted sheet and flat sheet with only very strategically placed English Fine Cottons tabs.