A Cardigan Fit for Jeans

Saturday's Western Mail ran this article about the revival that we here in Cardigan are about to witness in the jeans industry.


Local pioneers
David and Clare Hieatt

David Hieatt, the founder of the howies brand, is looking to tap into the skills of the area by employing at this initial stage, 5 skilled machinists to produce the premium Hiut Jeans denim which he plans to sell at around £150-£200 each and which will be aimed at top markets in London and Japan. He aims to open his new factory in Parc Teifi in July.

The skill base is there because it was barely a decade ago that the Dewhurst factory in Cardigan closed down and with it, went 400 jobs. It was a hammer blow to the local economy and it's taken time for it to recover.

Cardigan's old Dewhurst Factory

As I was quoted as saying in the Western Mail article, this is great news for Cardigan. The talent is there and is waiting to be untapped and it will be great to know that jeans are being produced here in Cardigan once more. It will also be a much needed extra shot in the arm for our local economy and in these challenging times, is a development that is to be greatly welcomed.

As David himself said: "It will be a tiny start-up but Levis started small too!"

Quite right David! Good luck to you in this excellent new venture.