A DARN FACTORY VISIT

SOME DARN NEWS

For those who are new: DARN is a tiny, tiny company run by me, Amelia Pemberton. My trouble is that I love designing, creating, and big thinking; I want to do it all. But after years of pop ups, events, collaborations, new product launches, and supper clubs (predominantly in Cornwall, though we even made my dream come true and hosted one in Kenya of all places…) it needed refining. So for now, I’m sticking to one thing and doing it in the best DARN way, and that’s SCARVES!

I’m so thrilled to share a video showcasing how each DARN silk scarf is made especially for you. It’s all well and good to think, “Oh, it’s just a square print, not much to it,” but it’s so much more. The textile industry in the UK has been overshadowed by factories abroad. I get hundreds of emails every day from factories in China and elsewhere asking if I’ll produce with them. And sure, I could make a big margin, but it doesn’t feel DARN right. There’s already so much stuff in the world, never ending windows of products you think you need, want, desire, lust for. I only want to release the very best to my customers and support a craft base I love, and if I can keep it manufactured in the UK, it seems right.

I’m not here to raise the flag for the UK government, quite the opposite. I am proud to limit what I do and, if I plan to do it, to do it well. At its very best. Working with amazing technicians and engineers with legacy and integrity behind them, and if there is a fun, playful way I can pop some colour into your life through a tiny square, then please come take a look at what I’ve got in stock for you and see if it shines some spark to you.

No mass production here. I order small and bespoke for you, no waste, no excess. I love visiting factories and understanding the process from start to finish. I’ve been lucky enough to visit them worldwide from my previous designing roles in London, from Japan, Portugal, the UK, and Mongolia of all places. To me, it’s like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, so I feel very chuffed to be working with one myself so close to home.

Here is a video showcasing moments of the DARN scarf process in Macclesfield with its submarine like washing machines, with buttons so big you want to press them all, and its silky smooth production.

Videographer: Joe Morgan

Colour Grade: Nick Whitworth

Model: Cat Horton