John Smedley

John Smedley's story began in 1784, when Peter Nightingale and his associate John Smedley founded Lea Mills in Matlock, Derbyshire. Nightingale was a relation of Florence Nightingale, and the brook running through the village of Lea Bridge made it an ideal setting, providing both power and a constant source of water. The mill first specialised in muslin and cotton, and by the end of the 18th century it had expanded into knitting and hosiery.

In 1819, John Smedley's son, also named John, joined the company as an apprentice, and six years later he took the helm at just 24. With great energy and vision, he modernised and expanded the business, determined to bring every manufacturing process under one roof and to use the finest raw materials available, a philosophy that still defines the brand today.

More than 240 years on, John Smedley remains a family business, now led by the eighth generation of the Smedley family. Lea Mills is still in operation, making the company's knitwear, and John Smedley considers it the world's longest-running manufacturing factory. The brand is renowned worldwide as a leader in fine gauge knitwear, sold in more than 30 countries, and in 2024 it received its second Royal Warrant.