Have you ever wondered why a golden cotton ball stands on top of the Manchester Town Hall spire? Well, it’s rumoured to be a homage to what made Manchester the world’s first industrial city in the middle of the 18th century. The prosperity brought by the booming cotton trade turned this once-small market town into a bursting urban metropolis, profoundly transforming its social and architectural identity.

As towering mills began to appear on the banks of Manchester’s network of canals and rivers, from Ancoats to Salford, elegant buildings were built in town to meet the needs of this burgeoning economy. Palazzo-style warehouses and austere Greek Revival-inspired banks, along with majestic public buildings, were erected to symbolise the commercial power the city had gained. Think about the magnificent Edwardian Baroque façade of St. James Buildings on Oxford Street, once headquarters of the British textile company Calico Printers’ Association Ltd. Or the double-block Victorian bank constructed between 1862 and 1880 for the Manchester & Salford Bank at 38 and 42 Mosley Street. Then there’s the Neo-Gothic Town Hall in Albert Square, completed in 1877 to replace the original one in King Street, which was now too small. And last but by no means least, the Royal Exchange, much of which dates from 1874 but at its peak in the mid-19th century, hosted more than 5,000 deal-brokering cotton merchants.

However, there is a special, red-bricked building that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of “Cottonopolis”. Nestled on the banks of the River Irwell in Salford, Cottenham House is the factory where British heritage brand Private White V.C. produces its own hand-crafted menswear collections. And, unlike many other mills in the area, it is still functioning today as it was in 1853, when it first opened. After returning from World War 1, military hero Private Jack White became an apprentice at the factory, which then manufactured raincoats and woollen garments, eventually becoming its owner. Today the family legacy lives on through his great-grandson James Eden, who founded Private White V.C. in 2010.

While being globally known for crafting locally produced luxury British outerwear, the brand has recently embraced a new venture, launching its own premium loungewear range. The Flâneur collection features sweatshirts, T-shirts, polos and more knitted from regionally sourced superior materials such as extra-fine merino wool and cashmere cotton blend. Epitomising the label’s meticulous craftsmanship, Private White V.C. joined forces with world- renowned jersey specialist Andrew Shane to create elegant yet simple garments made to last. As suggested from its name, the capsule is orientated towards urban explorers, providing the ideal travelwear essentials for modern, passionate wanderers. ‘The jersey you wouldn’t expect from us, exactly the way you would expect it,’ commented the CEO, James Eden.

As a matter of fact, the choice to bring to life a jersey collection was anything but foreseen. At the height of the pandemic, Private White V.C. offered its manufacturing resources and know-how to produce PPE, all supplied to the NHS. After 20 million pieces of medical garments had been delivered to UK frontline personnel, the brand decided to repurpose its new unit and machinery to produce luxury jerseys, which in doing so allowed it to keep together the skilled team assembled during the pandemic. The meaning of “pivoting”, in a business sense, could not have been described better. It comes as no surprise Cottenham House has not stopped working for over 150 years.

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