History of Thomas Mason Fabric Mill
The Thomas Mason textile mill was founded in 1796 in Leeds, England. The early fabrics were considered to be of the highest quality. They were widely used by tailors in West London to dress the British aristocracy.
During the 1800s, Britain’s empire and wealth grew, leading to Thomas Mason’s expansion around the world. By the Victorian era, Jermyn Street and Savile Row had become the center of fine clothing for gentlemen. Manufacturers of tailored suits and shirts such as Turnbull & Asser, Norton & Sons, and Emmett London flourished.
During World War I, Thomas Mason Mill developed new fabrics and treatments. One of which was waterproof cotton, that proved useful to the British cause. During the few decades following the war, Thomas Mason resumed production of the finest shirt fabrics in the British Empire. In 1936, at the height of the Duke of Windsor’s elegance as a symbol of English style, Thomas Mason became the exclusive fabric supplier. Turnbull & Asser used the high-end fabric mill for the manufacture of shirts for English royalty.
It was in 1992, that the Italian Albini Group took over Thomas Mason and moved production to Bergamo, Italy, where it has remained to this day. The fabrics still draw on the brand’s long history while benefiting from the Italians’ equally long and proud heritage of making the highest quality textiles in the world.