About us

Hunt & Winterbotham

The origins of Hunt & Winterbotham date back to 1859 when, in the village of Cam, Mr. Thomas Hunt joined his cloth business with that of Mr. Winterbotham thus beginning their partnership.

Hunt & Winterbotham have been established for a long time as cloth merchants. For many years they traded from their imposing showroom in Golden Square, London until, in 1991, the company was relocated from Stroud to Huddersfield. A continuous flow of high quality fabrics leave Hunt & Winterbotham daily for all parts of the world.

Just as famous as the name Hunt & Winterbotham are its two trading names John G. Hardy and J & J Minnis.

John G. Hardy

The founder was renowned for being rather eccentric. Having collected his fabric samples, he was well known for returning to London with them stacked under his top hat.

In 1929 the Duke of York used a John G. Hardy cloth for the regimental tweed of the Brigade of Guards. The company is privileged to hold a Royal Warrant which was granted for the supply of Balmoral tweed fabrics to the royal household.

J & J Minnis

History records that J & J Minnis was founded in 1874 by James Egbert Minnis in London. During the following ten years the business expanded and John Minnis joined the business to form J & J Minnis.

By 1901 London’s Savile Row was firmly established as the world's most prestigious street for gentlemen’s clothing and during the early part of 1902 J & J Minnis had taken up residence at 16 Savile Row where they were to spend sixty-four prosperous years.

By 1919 J & J Minnis was developing a growing reputation in Japan for its luxury fabrics and fine designs. It is widely believed that J & J Minnis was the first London cloth merchant to introduce Savile Row quality cloth into the Japanese market. A business merger in 1969 saw the company inherit Royal Warrants, which were issued by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Today J & J Minnis still retains a presence in London but is now based in Huddersfield, the home of the world’s finest fabric, from where it has maintained its worldwide reputation as a supplier of the ultimate luxury cloths.