History of Henri Lloyd

Henri Lloyd are a renowned brand for comfort, practicality and style with firm roots in sailing apparel for men. Now available on Mainline Menswear, we’re going to go through the History of Henri Lloyd to celebrate the newest brand available on our website.

The company began its journey in the North West city of Manchester back in its industrial prime of the 1960’s, the two owners Angus Lloyd and Henri Strzelecki combined to create the recognizable brand name with the pioneering trait of using man-made materials to create new clothing technologies.

The two joined forces in 1963 after Strzelecki settled in England and he began a career studying textiles where he later became known as “Waterproof Henri” for his ability to manipulate this quality in his clothing. He had been a World War II solider for Poland but his adventures led him to join forces with the British too and his involvement in many campaigns earned him the recognition from both authorities in the form of war medals.

It WaterproofIt was maybe his experience in the army which helped drive his ambition to develop active clothing, but whatever this motivation, it led the firm to the development of ground-breaking technology such as Bri-Nylon, hand-taping of seams for waterproofing and the first use of Velcro in such clothing.

In the more recent 90’s Henri Lloyd scaled new heights; it became “UK Fashion Brand of the Year” in 1997 and built a further legacy by becoming one of the first to incorporate a Gore-Tex waterproof feature. This was a high performance breathable outerwear fabric which underwent at least 22,000 hours of testing at sea before its release- the sort of attention to detail which makes it clear why this brand has achieved such phenomenal success, and why it remains as lifestyle brand with a multi-national reputation, even after the influential Strzelecki’s passing.

The Henri Lloyd’s logo sits alongside the likes of Fred Perry, Lyle & Scott and Burberry as one of the most recognizable in the British clothing industry, the crowned wreath still proves to be a big lure for consumers in the world of men’s fashion.

Shop the maritime look online with Mainline Menswear and Henri Lloyd.