LONDON, Jul 30, 2006/ FW/ — One of the oldest names in the Scottish border, the birthplace of the British knitwear industry, Pringle of Scotland was founded in 1815 by Robert Pringle.
The company began as a manufacturer of hosiery and underwear. It became one of the first luxury knitwear manufacturers in the world, having expanded throughout Europe, the US and Japan during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Pringle of Scotland has been knitting cashmere since the1870s and was one of the first brands to introduce knitwear as outerwear in the early 1900s. Pringle also created the intarsia design known today as the Pringle signature argyle pattern, which was immediately adopted by the Duke of Windsor and the fashionable set of the time.
Pringle took a sporty two-piece cardigan and sweater set from the golf course and retailored it to create the ‘twin set’ worn at sophisticated tea parties. This was teamed with a single string of pearls and an icon of classic British style was born.
The brand also introduced pink cashmere for men, one of the confirmed fans being the famous actor and socialite, Noel Coward.
Pringle has been a favorite of the stars of stage and screen since the 1940s. In the 1950s, the original sweater girls: Jean Simmons, Margaret Lockwood, Deborah Kerr, Grace Kelly, Bridgette Bardot, Margot Fonteyn and many more all wore Pringle. Today, Pringle is worn by stars such as Madonna, Guy Ritchie, Nicole Kidman, Claudia Schiffer, Liberty Ross, Sharon Stone and Scarlett Johannson.
In 2000, a new chapter began for the company when a brand vision and key strategies put in place to take the business into the international luxury arena. Pringle now sells from London, Milan and Tokyo showrooms with many markets growing at a pace. Pringle operates flagship stores in Bond Street and Sloane Street, London and Aoyama, Tokyo.
In 2005, Pringle celebrated 19 decades of quintessential style as well as the 70th anniversary of the Pringle design classic, the iconic twin set.
Today, Pringle of Scotland has three distinct collections:
- The Pringle of Scotland Collection
Founded on the company’s heritage of movie stars and royalty and combine with a powerful mix of popular culture and contemporary style. Luxury with an edge defines the mainline men’s and women’s collections which are shown on the Milan catwalk.
- Pringle Red Label
Founded on the company’s heritage of street culture and evokes a fashion sensibility that is individual and modern, yet stylish and sophisticated.
- Pringle Golf Collection
Inspired by the company’s classic sporting heritage and continues to be a valuable element of the Pringle collections.
For more information, please log on: www.pringlescotland.com
