Pretty Polly (hosiery)
Pretty Polly is a British brand of women's tights based in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England.
History
The company began in 1919 when Harry Hibbert and Oswald Buckland built a factory in Sutton-in-Ashfield, near Mansfield in Nottinghamshire.[1] In 1926 they took over a hosiery wholesaling company that was previously owned by the daughter of a bookmaker who had gained financially from the racehorse Pretty Polly.[1] The Pretty Polly trademark had a parrot as a logo,[2][1] from another use of the word 'polly'. By 1957, the brand was number two in the UK and the company was bought by Thomas Tilling, who also owned much of the Walton Hosiery company in Sutton-in-Ashfield, which owned the Ballerina hosiery brand. The two companies were merged in 1961 as Pretty Polly Holdings Ltd.
Innovations
In 1959 the company introduced the first non-run seam-free stockings.
Expansion
In 1967, an Irish subsidiary was opened at
Advertising
Pretty Polly was the first hosiery company to advertise on TV in 1980. In 1994 Laura Bailey modelled for the company, then in 1998, Eva Herzigová became the face (and legs) of Pretty Polly advertising. Sara Cox also modelled their hosiery. In 1999 the company launched their first bras, known as bbras. In 2003, English singer Rachel Stevens became the face of PP advertising. In September 2014 it was announced that Sophie Ellis-Bextor would be the Face and Legs of Pretty Polly.[3]
Honours
In 2005, the company was honoured as a Superbrand by the Superbrands Council.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e "Pretty Polly celebrates 100th anniversary - take a look back at the Notts lingerie company's sizzling history in pictures - Nottinghamshire Live". www.nottinghampost.com. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ "Pretty Polly Early Logo".
- ^ "Sophie Ellis Bextor is the new face and legs of Pretty Polly".