Upperlands is a mill village in the truest sense of the phrase. William Clark & Sons has worked linen here since the eighteenth century, and the place still carries the marks of that history: rows of workers’ houses, waterways and old mill buildings. For generations the mill wasn’t simply an employer, it was the centre of gravity for the entire local community.
‘I finished school on the Friday and went into Clark’s on Monday morning to ask for a job. It’s just what everyone did,’ remembers Duggie, who began working at fourteen sweeping floors, before working his way up. Stories like his explain how the mill was a rite of passage, a trade learned by doing, and a community held together by skill and care.
When the broader Irish linen industry contracted, William Clark’s endured by specialising in the finishing of linen. Among those finishes, beetling became the quiet craft that set Upperlands apart. The current engines—iron frames, wooden hammers, belts and beams—are well over a century old, and the craft is kept alive by judgement rather than gauges: the sound of the strike, the look of the surface, the feel under hand. Willie Smyth (pictured) is widely regarded as the world's last known beetler, and there is no-one yet coming behind him.
Historically, beetled linen was hidden: tailors prize it inside garments to reinforce seams and panels. Its beauty has been felt more than seen. When we first encountered beetling - just a thirty-minute drive from our studio - we knew at once it cut to the heart of what Kindred is for—breathing new life into linen heritage. We wanted to bring the fabric into the light, to let people actually wear the heritage that had been tucked away.
In our inaugural Collection, AW20 ‘Folklore’, beetled linen sat front and centre, with our Cloud Coat being our exploration of bringing the heritage cloth together with a modern design. Then we worked with William Clark’s (and Willie), to experiment and innovate how far the linen could go without losing itself. In AW22, ‘Find the Gold’, we created our metallic beetled linen—something entirely new, and yet honest to the process, the kind of innovation that proves heritage doesn’t have to stand still.
For us, beetling isn’t just another fabric we use, it has become core to our mission. Innovating this ancient craft, so it can survive today - Heritage made modern.
In late 2024, William Clark & Sons entered liquidation—a three-century story suddenly at risk of disappearing. We were aware that it was the sort of loss that would have happened quietly: no headlines or fanfare, just the silencing of hammers and the slipping away of yet another skill and craft. In early 2025, two local brothers, Andrew and Gareth Wilson, stepped in to buy the assets and keep the craft alive. As Andrew put it, ‘We couldn’t just stand back and watch hundreds of years of local history vanish.’ That resolve felt instantly familiar, as we found two Kindred Spirits.
Since the mill’s change of ownership, we’ve been working closely with Andrew, Gareth and the team to explore how beetling can be preserved, innovated and made viable again. It’s careful work that takes time: repairing dormant engines, placing steady orders and, urgently, getting an apprentice for Willie. None of it is guaranteed, but there is a small circle of people who see the worth of this craft and are determined to carry it forward.
