Henri Lloyd

Henri Lloyd is a British clothing brand that specialised in sailing apparel and fashion for men and women. Established in Manchester in 1963, the company had 40 stores spanning the UK, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe. In June 2018, the firm was acquired by Swedish investment firm, Aligro Group.

Henri-Lloyd Limited was founded in 1963 in Manchester by Henri Strzelecki and Angus Lloyd.

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.

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. In 2001 the company’s TP3 Reflex Jacket and Hi-Fit Trouser won The DAME Design Award at the Marine Equipment Trade Show in Amsterdam.

The company’s collections included men‘s, women’s and footwear.

Attribution – Wikipedia.