Pringle of Scotland
Pringle of Scotland Ltd.. or Pringle is in Hawick founded in 1815 by the Scottish entrepreneur Robert Pringle, internationally known fashion company.
From the high-quality woolen hosiery and woolen underwear the early days developed over the years, complete collections for upscale women's, men's and sports wear ( especially in golf ) as well as accessories and leather goods in the upper price segment. Hallmark of the company are a protected argyle pattern and a stylized rising lion as a logo. The original family business, which is still one of the purveyor to the British Royal Family was in 1960 converted into a public limited company purchased in 1967 by a Scottish cashmere manufacturer and taken over in 2000 by a textile company based in Hong Kong.
Company History
Start times
1815 was acquired by the Scottish entrepreneur Robert Pringle with two partners named Waldie and Wilson whiskey House Mill in Hawick in the Scottish Borders, the hydropower energy delivered, and founded under the name Waldie, Pringle, Wilson & Co a factory for the production of high-quality wool socks. Robert Pringle is considered one of the founders of Scottish commercial wool processing industry and his company as the " oldest British fashion brand ". In the 1870s, the fabric range has been expanded to include high-quality cashmere wool. By now been in operation, whose name has been changed over the years in Robert Pringle & Son, and finally in Pringle of Scotland, working with knitting machines. By the end of the 19th century had been away and moved towards the production of stockings for Herstelltung of woolen underwear. 1905 Pringle portfolio was expanded to include high-priced outerwear in wool, such as sweaters or cardigans. In the 1920s, the diamond -like argyle pattern of Pringle has been developed which should attract an elite clientele such as the Duke of Windsor later.
Success years from the 1940s
1934 led the company logo as a lion rampant on the labels, which is borrowed from the flag of the Scottish kings is embroidered ( " Lion Rampant " ) and to this day, for example on the brand jumpers in the chest. In the same year, the first chief designer, Otto Weisz was set. 1939, a majority of the company's headquarters was destroyed in a fire Hawick and had to be rebuilt. The Pringle twinset, an invention from the world of golf in the 1930s, which, among other things Audrey Hepburn as casual wear loved to wear in the years that followed, was Weiszs creative leadership from 1934 slowly becoming a everyday bestseller of the company, after it initially as unusual had made garment for ladies of high society for outrage. In the 1940s and 1950s - the time of the American Sweater Girls - international stars such as Jean Simmons, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot and Margot Fonteyn have been associated with the brand Pringle. 1948 Pringle was appointed by the Queen - mother to the purveyor to the British Royal Family. From Queen Elizabeth II, the 1956 Pringle appointed purveyor to the court, it is known that they ordered numerous annual Pringle twin sets to this day. 1955, the production at a manufacturing plant in the 65 miles of Hawick remote Berwick -upon -Tweed has been extended. 1960 Pringle was converted into a public limited company. In the 1960s, the company employed more than 3000 employees. 1967 Pringle was for 5.8 million pounds of Joseph Dawson Holdings Ltd. (later Dawson International), one also dating Hawick cashmere manufacturer bought. In 1978, the then aspiring actor Richard Gere in a Pringle outfit on the cover of U.S. Vogue. In the following years dropped below the Dawson leadership, however, the quality of the Pringle articles favorable lambswool instead of expensive cashmere has been increasingly used and thus targeting the mass market.
Development for golf and sports brand
In the 1980s, the checker pattern of Pringle was seen on the international golf courses after famous golfers like Nick Faldo - with an advertising contract existed since 1981 - media coverage appeared in Pringle clothing on the court. Pringle developed due to a conservative and upscale sports brand, whose sales mid-1980 amounted to nearly 30 million pounds. As of 1989, there was a separate Faldo Collection. Like many other high-priced brands also - bpsw. Burberry, Aquascutum, Fred Perry, Stone Iceland, etc. - was also Pringle, to the chagrin of the company to the 1990s, associated with mainly British hooligans and Chavs who adorned themselves with prestige brands. The company tried to distance themselves in different ways by these customers, for example by the use of the typical brand surveys was reduced in the collections, so as not to damage the image of the brands. From the 1990s the company expanded worldwide with its own Pringle stores. The mid-1990s, there were in Germany about 10 Pringle own businesses, and 22 franchise stores, for example in Hamburg or even Weimar, which a few years later, however, were all closed. In 1998, Pringle in total revenue of 200 million pounds of Dawson International, which until 2004, the Italian knitwear brand Ballantyne was, not more than 10% off. The production facility in Berwick was closed, and the number of employees in Hawick was reduced within five years of approximately 2000 employees to 450. In 2000, approximately 250 employees in Hawick were still employed.
Repositioning from the 2000s
2000 bought the group SC Fang & Sons (Fang Brothers Knitting Ltd.. , Founded in 1966 ) to the catch - brothers from Hong Kong, the company Pringle for under 7 million pounds. Dawson International is continuing its work solely on cashmere production. Although the new owners have made great efforts on the international catwalks, the brand - and thus in the luxury goods segment - to establish and to invest 45 million pounds in the manufacturing plant in Hawick, the work was finally closed last with 80 employees in 2008. In response, there was - ultimately unsuccessful - demands to prohibit the company's use of the Scottish lion as a logo. Also due to increasing competition from the Asian region and also from Italy, where the wages were 30% below the Scottish - - In 2007, the company had reported the third consecutive year losses of more than 9 million pounds. In Hawick remained the corporate headquarters and about 30 employees. Pringle finally began to award contracts to other knitwear factories in the Scottish Borders, the products can continue to be labeled as " Made in Scotland ".
The British businesswoman Kim Winser, who was also, by virtue of Pringle, was used as a CEO and transformed Pringle from a high-priced, but a bit dusty and old-fashioned golf and sports brand into an international luxury goods group. Under Winser example of the exclusive Gold Label and Red Label collections were introduced from 2002 ( now ceased ), opened elegant flagship stores in London, Milan, New York City and Tokyo (up to London now all closed) and Pringle fashion at London Fashion Week presented. During this time celebrities such as David Beckham and Julia Roberts have been associated with the brand Pringle. Annual sales rose by a third. Chief designer from 2001 to 2005 was the Briton Stuart Stockdale, a former employee Romeo Gigli, who was involved alongside Winser to a large extent on the first successful repositioning of the brand Pringle. In 2002, the sporty brand Pringle was sporting launched which replaced the previous Golf Collections, as well as a children's and baby collection launches, but these were all set again after some time. 2003 came accessories like handbags, added to Pringle range. As Stockdale's successor Briton Claire Waight Keller, 2005 was determined, a former Gucci designer, who remained until 2011 Creative Director at Pringle and then moved to Chloé in Paris. Winser left Pringle in 2006 and joined Aquascutum. Under Waight Keller the wool qualities were improved and the price is slightly lower scheduled and designed for a younger audience second-line with the name Pringle established 2007 1815, which, however, was discontinued after a few years. In the spring of 2013, Pringle had the second-line Pringle 1815 through a licensing agreement with the Japanese textile company Sanyo Shokai, the 2015 Japanese licenses for second-line operates among others also for the competitors Burberry ( Burberry Black Label, Burberry Blue Label ), initially for only the Japanese market revive.
The 2010s
Late 2000s, the annual turnover of the company Pringle was about 60 million pounds. 2009, the former Chanel Mary- Adair Macaire manager was hired as CEO of Pringle to return the brand to the profit zone. Under the British artist David Shrigley Macaire created an animated short film for Pringle. Also, 2009 was seen in the ad campaign and in a rotated by photographer Ryan McGinley Image film of the company, the actress Tilda Swinton. The collaboration with the Scottish Swinton was continued in subsequent seasons. In early 2011 sat SC Fang & Sons, a British fashion designer Alistair Carr eccentric, a former Balenciaga employee, as a designer for Pringle, who, however, was released in April 2012. For fiscal year 2010, Pringle reported a loss of over 7 million pounds and SC Fang & Sons, the company had to support financially the end of 2011 with nearly 11 million pounds.
Since 2006, the Pringle collections for men at London Fashion Week, presented to the international audience for men at Milan fashion week. Worldwide, there are 2012 in London ( just off Sloane Street, Bond Street was closed ) and Hong Kong Pringle own businesses. The largest market is North America to Great Britain. British competitors of the brand include Burberry, Aquascutum, John Smedley, Daks and Kilgour.