Dyeing in Bradford

The second world war revitalised the dyeing industry. For the next 20 years many firms prospered and the BDA grew to become the largest dyeing and finishing company in the world. In the early 1960s the industry began to suffer from the effects of competition. This led to the introduction of labour saving machinery and factory closures.

 

Most of the dyeing and finishing firms established in the nineteenth century no longer exist. Dyeing remains important, however, through the activities of textile firms who undertake their own dyeing in modern, efficient dye houses.

By the 1900s the majority of fabric dyers had become part of the BDA while others had merged into the British Cotton & Wool Dyers. Although some spinning and weaving firms continued to undertake their own dyeing these large combines dominated the industry. For a number of years the dyeing industry enjoyed great prosperity but it was badly hit after the first world war and in the 1930s.