A Derbyshire knitwear maker, a family business since 1784, making fine merino and Sea Island cotton knitwear at Lea Mills near Matlock.
John Smedley makes fine knitwear: polo shirts, jumpers and cardigans for men and women. Its factory, Lea Mills, stands at Lea Bridge near Matlock in Derbyshire. A trade report on its management team describes it as a British knitwear brand founded in 1784 and calls Lea Mills the world's oldest manufacturing factory still in its original location. The company says every garment is made in England, and the Derwent Valley Mills site says the mill has been owned by the Smedley family for over 230 years. Its factory shop also sells Sea Island cotton and merino wool ranges.
The mill was founded in 1784 by Peter Nightingale and John Smedley, the father of the better-known John Smedley (1803 to 1874). That second John Smedley moved the business from cotton to wool and expanded it. It became a limited company in 1893 and has stayed in the family, with the eighth generation now involved, according to Wikipedia. The company describes its brand values as "British, Iconic, and Responsible". It says it works with British farmers and spinners and has worked with the Campaign for Wool on using local fleece. It received its first Royal Warrant from King Charles III in 2024.
The UK base is Lea Mills in the Derwent Valley, which is the head office, factory and distribution site. A trade article from April 2025 also lists two stores in London and wholesale showrooms in London and Milan, plus 11 stores in Japan, with Japan its largest export market. In the UK it sells through department stores such as Fenwick and Flannels concessions, according to Wikipedia. Visitors can go to the factory shop at Lea Mills on Thursdays to Saturdays, according to the Derwent Valley Mills site.
On people, the April 2025 article says the company had 275 employees at that point and appointed Jess McGuire Dudley as managing director, the first person from a creative background to hold the job. She had been deputy managing director and global brand director, and she succeeded Ian Maclean MBE, who became executive chairman after 25 years. The company has also reopened a third-party manufacturing arm at Lea Mills and made a line with John Lewis using circular yarns. These are the company's reported plans and claims and we have not checked them independently.
A knitwear factory has many kinds of work. There are knitters and machine operators, menders and finishers, quality checkers, yarn buyers and planners, designers, people who look after shops and websites, and warehouse and finance teams. The company is in a Derbyshire valley, so it is a good example of a major fashion employer outside London. Check the company website for current roles.
Website: www.johnsmedley.com
PURPOSE helps school and university students explore 62 sectors and over 1,000 entry-level careers in the UK, then connects them directly with employers.
Explore PURPOSE