New Yorkshire Bank uniform pays homage to Clissold Mill

Clissold Mill in Cleckheaton has been consulted with regards to the new uniform that will be worn throughout the nationwide branches by Yorkshire Bank staff.

Set to be unveiled this month, the revamped workwear collection marks a new chapter in Yorkshire Bank’s history, as they embark on a standalone future.

The uniform takes inspiration from the art, environment, landscape and architecture of where they belong.

Scottish designer Aimee Kent was commissioned to create two prints – one for Yorkshire Bank and their sister bank, Clydesdale.

With regards the Yorkshire Bank outfits, Aimee worked with Clissold Mill to design a tweed pattern.

The Clydesdale number meanwhile will have a tartan theme.

A graduate from the internationally recognised Glasgow School of Art, up-and-coming Glasgow-based designer Aimee was selected from a shortlist to create an individual print for each Bank which captured their cultural heritage and combined this with a contemporary twist.

For Yorkshire Bank, Aimee looked at the architecture of major towns and cities in the region, the famous cotton mills, the textiles, the rolling hills and fields, coastlines and David Hockney’s art.

The Yorkshire fabric draws from the brand’s blues and is rooted in The Dales in a patchwork style that chimes with the area’s strong quilting history.

Other subtle textural elements are also apparent, recalling the vast, curved glass ceiling of the Leeds Corn Exchange and polka dots, based on cotton mill thread spools.

Aimee said: “I wanted to make something you’d feel proud to wear.

“A distinctive print that would brighten your day.

“There’s no reason why workwear should be unstylish.

“It should be on trend, yet timeless, classic, and flattering to all.”

Clissold Mill was founded by Joseph H Clissold in Cleckheaton in 1920 and has been a cornerstone in Yorkshire’s wool textile industry ever since.

Today, one hundred years of cloth-making craft and expertise has been pushed to the limits of technological advancement and the Mill’s fine, high quality fabrics have caught the eye of the fashion world.

This includes Paul Smith, who used bespoke cloth designed and made by Clissold for ‘The British Collection’ in 2014.