The short answer
The names on a swatch book are mills, which spin, weave and finish fabric, or merchants, which design and select fabrics, have mills weave them and sell suit lengths to tailors. Italian mills such as Vitale Barberis Canonico, Reda, Zegna and Loro Piana lean soft and lustrous. English and Scottish names such as Fox Brothers, Holland & Sherry and Harrisons lean firmer and drier.
- A mill makes the fabric; a merchant designs or selects it, stocks it and sells single suit lengths to tailors.
- Biella in Italy and Huddersfield in England are the two great centers of fine suiting.
- Italian fabrics tend to be softer and more lustrous; English and Scottish ones firmer and drier.
- Every major house sells fabrics at several levels, so the name alone tells you little about a swatch.
- Choose by weight, weave and Super number for your use, then compare names.
In this guide
- What is the difference between a mill and a fabric merchant?
- Where are the great suit fabric mills?
- Which Italian mills should you know?
- Which English and Scottish names should you know?
- Which French and Belgian merchants should you know?
- How do the major mills and merchants compare?
- Is Italian or English suit fabric better?
- Does the mill name matter when you choose a suit?
- How do you read the mill details in a fabric book?
- Questions people ask
Open a fabric book at any good tailor and the names start to sound like a wine list: Vitale Barberis Canonico, Loro Piana, Zegna, Holland & Sherry, Dormeuil, Fox Brothers. Some of them weave the fabric, some choose it and sell it, and a few do both. Knowing who is who helps you read a swatch book, ask better questions and pay for what actually matters. Here are the major Italian, English, Scottish, French and Belgian names, what each is known for, and how mills differ from merchants.
Mills and merchants at a glance
- Mill
- Spins, weaves and finishes the fabric
- Merchant
- Designs and selects fabrics, has mills weave them, sells lengths to tailors
- Both
- Many houses weave some fabrics and buy in others
- Italian center
- Biella, in Piedmont
- English center
- Huddersfield and West Yorkshire
- Where to find the name
- Woven into the selvage and printed on the bunch
What is the difference between a mill and a fabric merchant?
A mill makes fabric. It buys wool, spins it into yarn, weaves it on its looms and finishes it by washing, pressing and setting the surface. A merchant designs and selects fabrics, commissions mills to weave them, holds the stock and sells single suit lengths to tailors around the world, usually through fabric books called bunches. On a merchant's fabric, the merchant's name is the brand, and the mill behind it is often not named.
The line is blurred in practice. Dormeuil began as a merchant importing English fabrics and now weaves in Yorkshire. Zegna and Loro Piana weave their own fabrics and also make finished clothing. Huddersfield Fine Worsteds brings old mills and merchants together under one roof. What matters to you is that someone with a good eye chose the fabric, and that someone with good looms made it.
Mill
Makes the fabric
- Spins, weaves and finishes
- Sells pieces to merchants and clothing makers
- Often publishes its own bunches too
- May not be named on a merchant's fabric
Merchant
Chooses and sells the fabric
- Designs and selects fabrics
- Commissions mills to weave them
- Holds stock and cuts single suit lengths
- Publishes the bunches tailors show you
Both
Maker and merchant in one
- Weaves some fabrics in its own mills
- Buys others in
- Examples: Dormeuil, Huddersfield Fine Worsteds
- Some also make clothing, such as Zegna and Loro Piana
Where are the great suit fabric mills?
Two regions dominate fine suiting. In Italy it is Biella, in the foothills of the Alps in Piedmont, home to Vitale Barberis Canonico, Reda and, in nearby Trivero, Zegna. In England it is West Yorkshire, where the towns around Huddersfield, Bradford, Leeds and Dewsbury remain the center of English worsted weaving, though far fewer mills operate than in the past. Scotland is known above all for tweed and woolens, and the West Country for flannel, through Fox Brothers in Somerset.
Which Italian mills should you know?
Italian suiting tends to be softer, lighter and more lustrous than English suiting, made for comfort and a fluid drape. Four names appear again and again, and you will also meet others such as Cerruti, Fratelli Tallia di Delfino and Drago, each with its own house character.
Vitale Barberis Canonico
Founded in Biella in 1663, Vitale Barberis Canonico is one of the oldest wool mills still in business. It makes a very wide range of worsteds, flannels and seasonal fabrics, and it is among the most common names in made-to-measure and bespoke fabric books. Its archive runs deep: in 2026 it worked with Henry Poole on Savile Row on a new fabric inspired by a superfine blue it supplied in 1859, matching its old records to the tailor's ledgers.
Reda
Reda was founded in 1865 in Valle Mosso, also in the Biella district, and specializes in fine merino worsteds. Its fabrics are smooth and light, and you will find them in ready-to-wear and made-to-measure suits as well as in tailors' books.
Ermenegildo Zegna
Ermenegildo Zegna founded the business as a wool mill in Trivero in 1910. Today the Zegna Group is best known for clothing and also owns Thom Browne and Tom Ford Fashion, but it still weaves fabric, and Zegna fabrics appear in the books of many independent tailors. Expect fine, smooth worsteds with a soft hand. Its own bespoke service is made in Milan; see our profile of Zegna in Milan.
Loro Piana
Loro Piana, founded in 1924 in Quarona, in Piedmont, and now majority-owned by LVMH, is known for the rarest fibers in tailoring: fine cashmere, vicuña and some of the finest merino wools. It sells finished clothing in its own stores and fabrics to tailors, and its suitings sit at the top of most fabric books on price. They are a pleasure to wear, and the finest are best kept for suits you wear occasionally.
Which English and Scottish names should you know?
English and Scottish fabrics tend to be firmer, drier and a little heavier, made to tailor crisply and stand up to hard wear. Many of the best-known names are merchants, with the weaving done by mills in Yorkshire and Scotland.
Holland & Sherry
Holland & Sherry was founded in London in 1836 and is one of the best-known merchants on Savile Row. Its bunches range from classic worsteds and flannels to travel fabrics such as Crispaire, a two-ply high-twist, and Eco-Traveller, a very light summer fabric in its 2026 range.
Harrisons of Edinburgh
Harrisons of Edinburgh, a merchant founded in 1863, is known for robust suitings with a traditional British character. Its Spring Ram high-twist is known for holding a very sharp crease, and Frontier is a popular plain-weave worsted.
Fox Brothers
Fox Brothers has woven in Wellington, Somerset, since 1772 and is best known for flannel, the soft, brushed wool used for winter suits and trousers. It also makes Fox Air, a breathable high-twist fabric for year-round suits.
Huddersfield Fine Worsteds and other Yorkshire names
Huddersfield Fine Worsteds gathers several historic names. They include Martin Sons & Co, founded in 1859, which created Fresco, the original high-twist summer fabric, in 1907; J & J Minnis, founded in London in 1874; and Hunt & Winterbotham. Other English names you will see include Dugdale Bros, Smith Woollens and Standeven, each with its own bunches of worsteds, flannels and high-twists. Our guide to high-twist wool and fresco covers their summer fabrics.
Which French and Belgian merchants should you know?
Dormeuil
Dormeuil is a French family business founded in Paris in 1842, when it began importing English fabrics. It became a maker in its own right in the early 20th century and has long woven in Yorkshire. In 2025 it bought Alfred Brown, a Yorkshire worsted weaver founded in 1915. Its best-known fabric is Tonik, a crisp wool and mohair blend.
Scabal
Scabal was founded in Brussels in 1938 as a fabric merchant, and since 1973 it has owned a mill in Huddersfield, where most of its fabric is woven. Its range is very wide, from classic worsteds to luxury blends. Its bunches are a fixture at many tailors in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
How do the major mills and merchants compare?
| Name | Type | Base | Founded | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vitale Barberis Canonico | Mill | Biella, Italy | 1663 | A wide range of worsteds and flannels |
| Reda | Mill | Valle Mosso, Biella, Italy | 1865 | Fine merino worsteds |
| Ermenegildo Zegna | Mill and clothing brand | Trivero, Italy | 1910 | Fine, soft worsteds |
| Loro Piana | Mill and luxury brand | Quarona, Italy | 1924 | Cashmere, vicuña and very fine wools |
| Holland & Sherry | Merchant | Founded in London | 1836 | Savile Row suitings; travel fabrics |
| Harrisons of Edinburgh | Merchant | Edinburgh, Scotland | 1863 | Robust suitings; Spring Ram |
| Fox Brothers | Mill | Wellington, Somerset, England | 1772 | Flannel; Fox Air |
| Huddersfield Fine Worsteds | Mill and merchant group | Huddersfield, England | Registered 1920 | Fresco |
| Dormeuil | Maker and merchant | France, with weaving in Yorkshire | 1842 | Tonik |
| Scabal | Merchant with its own mill | Brussels, Belgium, with a mill in Huddersfield | 1938 | A wide range, from classics to luxury blends |
Founding dates as given by the companies. Bunches and ownership change, so ask your tailor about current ranges.
Is Italian or English suit fabric better?
Neither is better; they are made for different things. As a broad tendency, English and Scottish fabrics are firmer and drier, so they hold the shape of a structured jacket and survive daily wear. Italian fabrics are often softer, lighter and more lustrous, so they suit soft, unstructured tailoring. Plenty of fabrics break the pattern: Italian mills make sturdy twills, and English merchants sell silky fine worsteds. Match the fabric to the cut and the use; see English vs Italian vs American tailoring.
English and Scottish
Firmer and drier
- Crisp hand that holds a press
- Suits structured jackets
- Hard-wearing for daily use
- Often a little heavier
Italian
Softer and more lustrous
- Smooth, soft hand
- Suits soft, unstructured jackets
- Fluid drape and a gentle sheen
- Often a little lighter
Does the mill name matter when you choose a suit?
It matters less than you might think. Every major mill and merchant sells fabrics at several levels, from sturdy everyday worsteds to rare luxury fibers, so the name alone tells you little about a particular swatch. What the name does tell you is consistency: established houses dye, finish and check their fabrics carefully, and tailors know how those fabrics behave under the iron. The weight, the Super number, the weave and how the fabric suits your use matter more than the label. See Super numbers explained and suit fabric weight.
How do you read the mill details in a fabric book?
Reading a swatch
- 1
Find the bunch and number
Each book has a name, often a season, and every swatch has a reference number. Your tailor orders by that number.
- 2
Check the composition
Look for 100% wool, or the percentages of any blend. A Super number appears only on pure wool, or wool blended with rare fibers such as cashmere, mohair or silk.
- 3
Read the weight
English books usually give ounces per running yard and Italian books grams per running meter.
Tip: 1 oz per yard is about 31 g per meter.
- 4
Note who made it
The cover names the mill or merchant. If it matters to you, ask the tailor where a merchant's fabric was woven.
- 5
Ask about stock
Merchants generally ship single suit lengths from stock, but popular colors sell out and fabrics are discontinued. If you love a fabric, order an extra pair of trousers now.
A tailor orders a cut length for each suit. A standard two-piece suit takes about 3.5 meters of fabric 150 cm wide, a three-piece about 4 meters and a pair of trousers about 1.5 meters. Larger sizes, pattern matching and narrower vintage fabrics all need more. Fabric can be a large share of the price of a bespoke suit, which is one reason the same tailor can quote very different prices for the same cut.
Questions to ask about a fabric
- Who made this fabric, and who sells it?
- What is the weight, and is it per meter or per yard?
- What is the composition and the Super number?
- How does it press and wear, in your experience?
- Is it in stock, and is it likely to be discontinued?
- Can you order enough for a second pair of trousers?
The names on a swatch book tell you who chose and made the fabric, not whether the suit will be good. Learn the main houses, use our guide to how to read a fabric bunch for the rest of the page, and let your tailor steer you to the fabric that fits your climate and how often you will wear it. When you are ready to commission, our rankings of the best tailors in London and the best tailors in Bangkok show where to find a wide choice of fabrics.
Questions people ask
Is Loro Piana fabric worth it?
Loro Piana fabrics are among the finest and most expensive in tailoring, known for cashmere, vicuña and very fine wools. They are worth it if you value softness and rarity and will wear the suit occasionally. For a suit worn several days a week, a sturdier worsted from any good mill usually wears better and costs less.
Is Vitale Barberis Canonico a good fabric?
Vitale Barberis Canonico, founded in Biella in 1663, is a long-established Italian mill with a very wide range of worsteds and flannels. Its fabrics are common in made-to-measure and bespoke books and cover many price levels. As with any mill, choose the specific fabric by weight, weave and how you will use the suit.
Is Holland & Sherry a mill?
Holland & Sherry is primarily a merchant, founded in London in 1836. It designs and selects fabrics, has mills weave them, holds the stock and sells suit lengths to tailors through its bunches. Many famous English names work the same way.
What does a fabric merchant do?
A fabric merchant designs and selects suiting, commissions mills to weave it, holds the stock and sells single suit lengths to tailors, usually through swatch books called bunches. Merchants let a tailor offer thousands of fabrics without buying whole rolls. Some merchants also own mills.
Are English fabrics better than Italian?
English fabrics are not better than Italian ones, or the other way around. English and Scottish fabrics tend to be firmer and drier, which suits structured tailoring and daily wear, while Italian fabrics tend to be softer and more lustrous. Choose by the cut of the suit and how you will use it.
Does Zegna sell fabric to other tailors?
Yes. Zegna began as a wool mill in Trivero, Italy, in 1910, and although it is now best known for its own clothing, its fabrics appear in the books of many independent tailors and made-to-measure houses. Expect fine, smooth worsteds with a soft hand.
Where is the mill name on suit fabric?
The mill or merchant's name is usually woven into the selvage, the finished edge of the fabric, often with the fiber content. Your tailor can show it to you on the length before cutting. Martin Sons & Co of Huddersfield is credited with the first branded selvage, in 1917.
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