YOU would be forgiven for thinking there is no possible connection between Todmorden and the fashion catwalks of Milan.

But from its humble factory on the fringe of East Lancashire, fabric company Brisbane Moss provides that very link.

Brisbane Moss exports corduroy and moleskin for garments made in the top fashion houses.

It sells to the labels so loved by Hollywood film stars and Premiership footballers, including Gucci, Ralph Lauren and Aquascutum among others, and 44 per cent of its exports head for Italy.

The company weaves, dyes and finishes corduroy -- which means 'cloth of kings' -- and moleskin and then sells them around the world.

The Todmorden business, where eight are employed, is unique in that it is the only corduroy manufacturer of its kind left in the UK.

Its competitors have diminished as competition from the Far East and Eastern Europe, in the fierce textile market, has increased.

Brisbane Moss took on its present incarnation, as part of the Chapman and Sons group, in 1982.

Yet, the history of the company converting cotton into corduroy and dyeing at the site dates back to the height of the industrial age in the late-nineteenth century.

The company, which produces over one million metres of cloth per year, has recently won a Queen's Awards for Enterprise for its performance in the field of exports.

In an enthusiastic tour around the factory, still in its original mill, Ian Darrah, managing director of Chapman and Sons, explains the 17 processes the fabric goes through to make the top quality corduroy.

It involves a lot of steam, plenty of dye and a good deal of brushing, he explained.

But Mr Darrah, 46, who has worked in fabrics for 29 years, admitted it is difficult for a UK textile company to compete with the Far East and the Third World with their much lower cost bases.

He said: "There is a lot of competition from all over the world; business is hard.

"The Far East is becoming much more aggressive in all aspects, particularly in textiles.

"China is now by far and away the biggest competitor to the textiles industry.

"But the award recognised what we have achieved through exporting."

Mr Darrah said the company has made its 'Britishness' a strength when creating success abroad.

He said: "Corduroy has become much more of a fashion statement and a fashion icon and we do supply designer labels.

"We push the English side of it. We put a Union Jack on labels which the customers love especially in places like Japan where anything that is English is well-liked."

And it is not only in the top ranges of the fashion industry where Brisbane Moss's fabrics are used.

Gold mine workers in Africa use a thick Brisbane Moss corduroy to sieve gold from water.

Mr Darrah said: "It has been used for a long time in gold mines in places such as Ghana as the gold settles in the ribs of the cord.

"We sell less now as many gold mines have become more industrialised, but it is still used.

"Not all corduroy is used in garments or a pair of curtains. It is used for quite a lot of purposes."

And Mr Darrah said he can count on the workforce of Todmorden to keep the company going in the competitive market.

He said: "It's loyal workforce in Todmorden - a lot of our workforce have been with us from day one.

"We are very proud of what we have got here."