Colin Sutcliffe, fabric technical executive at Quantum Clothing, and Luke Crozier, a technical director at the firm, were two of just 50 people from across the UK to receive a 'Behind the Seams' award from Skillfast-UK, the Sector Skills Council for fashion and textiles.

Luke was praised for his extensive knowledge of woven shirt fabric and the development of innovative fabric finishes, and for helping the North Street firm to grow.

Colin received recognition for his ability to interpret design and trends into fabrics that are used in today's lingerie market.

Karan Woodward, HR director for the firm which nominated the duo for the awards, told Chad: "The experience and skills of Colin, Luke and the rest of the team are extremely valuable to Quantum clothing, helping us maintain our position in the marketplace and manufacture high quality products."

The company was created as a management buyout of Coats Viyella Clothing in December 2000 and has premises in Northern Ireland, Turkey and China.