Viyella
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/bf/Viyella_logo.jpg/220px-Viyella_logo.jpg)
Viyella is a
The fabric
Viyella was a soft dress-weight fabric that was more resistant to shrinkage than any comparable pure wool alternative (challis, for example). In its early years it was marketed as a fabric which combined lightness and fashion with warmth and durability. One 1920s advertisement called it a "guaranteed unshrinkable fine wool flannel" for women who wanted both "daintiness" and "protectiveness".[3] By the early 20th century it came in various weights and widths, some rather narrow by today's standards, and in both plain colours and woven or printed patterns, and was exported from the United Kingdom to other English-speaking countries. Towards the end of the 20th century it was woven in 150 cm (59 in) wide lengths suitable for modern garment design and production.
Industry | clothing retailer |
---|---|
Founded | 1893 |
Headquarters | |
Key people | James Sissons Robert Sissons |
Products | clothes home furnishings |
The first ready-made garments using Viyella were shirts and nightgowns, and soon came dresses,
In the mid-20th century the fabric was popular for children's clothes, from babies' nightgowns to winter shirts for British schoolchildren, and for pyjamas, shirts and dresses; it became associated with sensible, cosy clothing. Officers in the British and other
Clydella was a cheaper, less soft alternative made with 81 per cent cotton, produced at factories in the
, where Viyella was also woven.Hollins also produced the related Dayella cloth used especially for babies' clothes.
The companies
The name Viyella is based on the unusually-named valley road,
After a merger in 1961, Hollins became Viyella International, led by Joe Hyman, who in the next few years acquired a series of related companies, with Viyella growing to be one of the biggest textile businesses in the UK, owning 40 factories across the country. After a few years as Carrington Viyella and then Vantona Viyella, the company owning the brand became
In 2009, the upmarket retailer Austin Reed agreed to buy Viyella for an undisclosed sum.
In late 2011, Viyella opened its flagship store next to Austin Reed at 92 Regent Street, London.
References
- ^ a b Times, 8 Sep 1987
- ^ Trade Marks Journal, 6 June 1894, cited in the Oxford English Dictionary
- ^ The Scotsman, 21 Nov 1927
Literature
- The Times: Fashion: Soft touch for a romantic, 8 September 1987
- The Times: Obituary of "Joe Hyman, textile magnate", 8 July 1999
- Daily Telegraph: Thompson measures Austin Reed bid, 28 March 2003
- Viyella history
- Textiles in the Glasgow area
Further reading
- Stanley Pigott, Hollins: A Study of Industry (William Hollins & Co., 1949)
- F. A. Wells, Hollins and Viyella (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1968)