Henri Lloyd is a British clothing brand that specialises in sailing apparel and fashion for men and women.
Established in Manchester in 1963 and still headquartered there, the company has 40 stores spanning UK, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe.
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History
Henri-Lloyd Limited was founded in 1963 in Manchester by Angus Lloyd and Henri Strzelecki.
A soldier in the Polish Army during World War II, Strzelecki was awarded both Polish and British military medals in 1946. He settled in Manchester at war's end and studied textiles and design before working with local clothing companies there. In time known as "Mr Henri" or "Waterproof Henry", Strzelecki was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1985. Two Queen's Awards for Export Achievement followed in 1986 and 1987.
Innovation
Henri Lloyd pioneered the use of new technologies and fabrics such as Bri-Nylon in its early clothing lines. Among its innovations were the first non-corrosive zipper made of nylon, the introduction of Velcro closures in waterproof garments, the hand taping of seams as an alternative to varnishing, and the incorporation of Gore-Tex waterproofing.
The use of Gore-Tex alone went through over 22,000 hours of round the world testing at sea before it was first sold to customers in Henri Lloyd high performance breathable foul weather gear 1994. The company's TP3 Reflex Jacket and Hi-Fit Trouser won the Design Award METS at the Marine Equipment Trade Show in Amsterdam.
The company's collections now include men's, women's and footwear.
Pioneers
A Henri Lloyd Consort Jacket was worn by Sir Francis Chichester when he became the first person to sail single-handed around the world by the clipper route, and the fastest circumnavigator, in nine months and one day overall in 1966-67.
Henri Lloyd oilskins were worn by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston when he became the first man to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in 1969.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes and his crew wore Henri Lloyd foul weather gear on their Transglobe Expedition.
Chay Blyth and Naomi Jones both wore Henri Lloyd sailing clothing for their circumnavigations.
Corporate partnership
In 2009, Henri Lloyd became the "Official Supplier of Clothing and Footwear Technology" of the Brawn GP Formula One Team as part of a commercial partnership.
Henri Lloyd have sponsored Sir Ben Ainslie since 1996 and were his first commercial sponsor.
When Ben Ainslie launched Land Rover BAR, the British Challenger team for the 35th America's Cup, Henri Lloyd became their official technical clothing partner.
The sailing kit was developed in close collaboration with the Land Rover BAR team and features a neoprene wetsuit long john and top.
Henri Lloyd has been the technical clothing partner to the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race since 2002, and in 2014 announced that the sponsorship would continue for the 2015-2016 and the 2017-2018 races.
In 2017 the brand announced a 3 year sponsorship deal with the FAST40+ Class, providing bespoke sailing kit for the crew and a perpetual trophy for the FAST40+ Race Circuit.
Henri Lloyd are one of the sponsors of Cowes Classics Week 2017, which includes a Henri Lloyd race day and trophy.
Fashion
Henri Lloyd first became known for fashion in 1984 when the Milan Scooter Society or 'Paninaro' scene adopted the Henri Lloyd Consort Jacket as part of their uniform along with Levi 501 jeans and Timberland boots.
The mid-1990s saw the launch of Henri Lloyd Black Label. This Massimo Goggi designed collection linked Italian-inspired sportswear with technically innovative fabrics, helping the firm earn the Fashion Brand of the Year in the UK award in 1997.
The Consort Jacket, first designed by Henri Strzelecki in 1965 has been redesigned for 2017 in a collection of 21 different editions.
Child Labour
Henri Lloyd is one of several companies referenced as sourcing from factories using child labour in an investigation carried out by SOMO in 2017. SOMO's report also indicates that the factories involved in Myanmar pay less than the minimum wage. Henri Lloyd responded to Drapers: "We are in contact with SOMO and have investigated the findings of their report. We were unaware that this factory violated our policies when we placed one small order here. Following our investigations we are no longer working with this supplier or factory."
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References
External links
- Official website
Source of article : Wikipedia
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