A Family Affair

Men who worked at sea a hundred years ago were at the mercy of the rain, wind and waves and often their fragile craft offered little protection from the elements.

Often survival was dependant on good clothing. If a man were soaked on deck, the icy waters could render his limbs heavy and slow his return journey to the shore. These early sea-farers devised a way of weather proofing their crude canvas smocks. These garments, which were usually made from the remains of wind torn sails, were rubbed with linseed oil. They found that when the oil had penetrated the cloth it kept the biting winds and harsh sprays from reaching their skin. This idea of applying finishes to a base fabric was the beginning of generations of waterproof and water resistant fabrics.

Towards the end of the 1880's, British Millerain ® began to develop fabrics which would suit a wide variety of clothing requirements from the rigours of life in the armed forces to the lesser demands of country pursuits.

People may be surprised to see similar clothing being worn as a fashion item by the well heeled in the streets of capital cities and country villages around the world today.

Waterproof and water resistant fabrics have retained their popularity during the decades from 1880, when British Millerain ® began, through the war years when they supplied fabrics for use by British troops in India, through the fabrics revolution when synthetics emerged and right up to the present day.

The demand for "Millerained" ® fabrics is greater than ever and the skills of this family company have been passed through six generations to meet the requirements of the clothing industry worldwide.

Today, British Millerain ® is a major supplier of technical textiles. Producing apparel, canvas, medical, military, marine, industrial and sports fabrics.