The Stitch society
Who are you and what do you do?
The Stitch Society is an award-winning British brand, which designs and manufactures premium work aprons in its Yorkshire studio, based in the iconic Salts Mill. The Stitch Society’s ethos is that all of its garments are designed and made in Yorkshire from the highest quality, most luxurious and hardwearing UK sourced fabrics.
We are so proud of our aprons that all of them carry a 10-year guarantee - covering all our workmanship and any small repairs. Our aprons combine comfort and practicality with style and elegance. Worn by a growing number of artisan crafters and makers, our aprons are becoming well known for their endurance in the face of long-term creativity.
How did The Stitch Society begin?
The Stitch Society launched in 2015; we had been teaching workshops and had designed an apron to suit our needs, as we couldn’t find one with a big enough pocket. We were asked numerous times where we had bought our aprons from, so, having perfected our unique design (featuring our large pleated pocket), we made a few to see if they sold. They did and the rest, as they say, is history.
Apart from your gorgeous collection of aprons, do you put your hands to anything else?
We have the Linda pinafore apron pattern, which is the pattern for the first apron we made. Tested by numerous sewers over the years, it’s simple design makes it one of our best sellers. And we’ve recently introduced a range of bags which are made from leftover apron scraps and offcuts. With the same attention to detail as our aprons, they are sturdy, beautiful and endlessly useful.
Could you tell us about some of your recent collaborative projects?
We’ve collaborated with a handful of carefully chosen designers this year: we produced a range of half aprons for gardeners with Helen Russell Creations and have recently been working on an apron with leather detailing with Catherine Edwards (who also creates the most amazing leather bags). Our collaborations allow us to develop new ideas and add a new dimension to our work.
What inspires you?
Without question, it would be our customers. We love working with them to produce their perfect apron and, often, the work results in a new design that suits a particular craft or trade. This aspect of our work lets customers know they can always come to us with a particular apron problem and we’ll try to solve it as best we can.