London Shrunk - W. T. Johnson

Finishing Cloth - W. T. Johnson

W. T. Johnson provide fine finishes to fabrics for tailors and designers, including fabrics from their own subsidiary suiting manufacturers John Foster. Their most famous finish is the London Shrunk, which they describe as the "ultimate suiting finish".

The London Shrunk Finish

The London Shrunk process shrinks and relaxes fabric so that it is easier to handle and work by tailors. The fabric is softer and drapes better.

Tailors appreciate the finish because the cloth will withstand the stresses of suit construction and multiple steam pressings and come out of the process with its characteristics intact.

Shrinking House 1950s

You can see a short film of work at a London shrinking house in the 1950s on the British Pathé site. I believe that the company shown on the stamp for the Invincible Finish featured in the film (below) -  Perrotts (Nicol & Peyton) - went out of business in 2009. I don't trust my own research, so it would be nice to hear that they're still making cloth invincible. What do you know British cloth-lovers?

Tweedy's Thought: We see the names of cloth makers in more and more jackets. Is a label for the finisher too much information?