German cotton centre (4)
I believe the answer is:
otto
'german' is the definition.
(common German name)
'cotton centre' is the wordplay.
'centre' says the answer is hidden in the clue (hidden in the middle of the letters).
'OTTO' can be found hidden inside 'cotton'.
(Other definitions for otto that I've seen before include "Producer of engines" , "Something oily" , "Rose petal oil; Bismarck's name" , "perfume maker" , "that smells quite nice" .)