Leicestershire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warwickshire to the south-west, and Staffordshire to the west. The city of Leicester is the largest settlement and the county town.
Rayon, also called viscose and commercialised in some countries as sabra silk or cactus silk, is a semi-synthetic fiber, made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has the same molecular structure as cellulose. Many types and grades of viscose fibers and films exist. Some imitate the feel and texture of natural fibers such as silk, wool, cotton, and linen. The types that resemble silk are often called artificial silk.
Lyocell is a semi-synthetic fiber used to make textiles for clothing and other purposes. It is a form of regenerated cellulose made by dissolving pulp and dry jet-wet spinning. Unlike rayon made by some of the more common viscose processes, Lyocell production does not use carbon disulfide, which is toxic to workers and the environment. Lyocell was originally trademarked as Tencel in 1982.
Knitting is the process of using two or more needles to pull and loop yarn into a series of interconnected loops in order to create a finished garment or some other type of fabric. The word is derived from knot, thought to originate from the Dutch verb knutten, which is similar to the Old English cnyttan, "to knot". Its origins lie in the basic human need for clothing for protection against the elements. More recently, hand knitting has become less a necessary skill and more of a hobby.
Gildan Activewear Inc. is an American-owned Canadian manufacturer of branded clothing, including undecorated blank activewear such as t-shirts, sport shirts and fleeces, which are subsequently decorated by screen printing companies with designs and logos. The company also supplies branded and private label athletic, casual, and dress socks to retail companies in the United States including Gold Toe Brands, PowerSox, SilverToe, Auro, All Pro, and the Gildan brand. The company also manufactures and distributes Under Armour and New Balance brand socks. The company has approximately 44,000 employees worldwide, and owns and operates manufacturing facilities in Rio Nance, Honduras and the Caribbean.
Courtaulds was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals. It was established in 1794 and became the world's leading man-made fibre production company before being broken up in 1990 into Courtaulds plc and Courtaulds Textiles Ltd.
Lyle & Scott Limited, trading as Lyle & Scott, is a Scottish fashion and knitwear brand well known historically for its golfing knitwear. Based in Hawick, Scotland, the brand designs, manufactures and markets knitwear and in the 21st century has become increasingly popular for its clothing such as t-shirts, polo shirts, tracksuits and loungewear amongst younger and middle aged customers.
Pringle of Scotland Limited, trading as Pringle of Scotland, is a Scottish fashion brand specialising in cashmere knitwear and holds the royal warrant as manufacturers of knitted garments. It is one of the world's oldest continually operating fashion companies. The company has its flagship stores in London's Mount Street, Edinburgh's George Street, Shanghai, Beijing, and is sold by retailers in 20 countries.
Hanes Australasia, formerly Pacific Brands, is an Australian consumer products company. It a business unit of the American company Hanesbrands.
Nathaniel Corah (1777–1831) was a trader of hosiery and textiles from Leicester in England. He founded the firm N. Corah & Sons which became one of the most important textile manufacturers in the country.
William James Dwyer was an Irish politician and businessman.
N. Corah and Sons was a manufacturer of hosiery and textiles, located in Leicester in the United Kingdom. At one time it was the largest knitwear producer in Europe, and its products had a major influence on the development and prosperity of the Marks & Spencer chain of retail stores.
Arvind Limited is a textile manufacturer and the flagship company of the Lalbhai Group. Its headquarters are in Naroda, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, and it has units at Santej. The company manufactures cotton shirting, denim, knits and bottomweight (khaki) fabrics. It has also recently ventured into technical textiles with its Advanced Materials Division in 2011. It is India's largest denim manufacturer.
Stance is an American sock, underwear and T-Shirt brand founded in December 2009. Stance is headquartered in San Clemente, California. As of March 2015, the company had sold over 36 million pairs of socks and raised over $115 million from investors.
Jeffrey Rogers established his eponymous company in the 1970s in Margaret Street, Soho, with a staff of three. Over time, his company grew to become a large international concern; by 1988 it had a turnover of £25 million and exported 15 per cent of production outside the UK.
Corgi Socks is the trading name of Corgi Hosiery Limited, a manufacturer of luxury socks and knitwear in hand-knitted wool, cotton and cashmere. Its factory is located in Ammanford, Wales, UK where it currently employs around 50 people. The business is a subsidiary of Dewhurst Dent Plc, owners of Dents. It has a reputation as a manufacturer of luxury socks and its customers include the British royal family.
Zodiac Clothing Company Ltd. is a manufacturer of men's clothing that owns the ZODIAC, ZOD! and z3 brands. The company produces men's apparel and accessories for Indian and International markets. It was started as ‘House of Zodiac’ by M. Y. Noorani in 1954 as a necktie manufacturer. ZCCL was incorporated as a private limited company in 1984. It became a deemed public limited company in December 1993 and went public in January 1994.
Prahlad Rai Agarwala is an Indian business man based in Kolkata, West Bengal, engaged in the manufacturing and export of a range of clothing and other products including inner wear, casual wear, kids wear, winter wear and footwear. The "Rupa" brand of knit wear owned by the hosiery company Rupa & Company Ltd. founded by Prahlad Rai Agarwala along with Ghanshyam Prasad Agarwala and Kunj Bihari Agarwal in 1968 is one of India's largest knitwear brand.
Barkers or Barkers Men's Clothing is a New Zealand menswear fashion brand and retail chain. It has 31 stores around the country, including 13 in Auckland. It was established in Auckland CBD in 1972, and is headquartered in Grafton, Auckland. The chain sells a range of men's clothing, including shirts, knitwear, pants, jeans, sweatshirts, jackets and coats, blazers, t-shirts, shorts, polo shirts, socks, ties and belts.
Međimurska trikotaža Čakovec was a Croatian knitwear factory based in Čakovec, Međimurje County. Also known by the abbreviation MTČ, the company was one of the largest textile producers in the country, dealing with the production and sales of knitted products.
Further reading Bramwell G Rudd COURTAULDS and the HOSIERY & KNITWEAR INDUSTRY (Carnegie Publishing Ltd) (2014, ISBN softback 978-1-905472-06-2, hardback 978-1-905472-18-5)
