LONSDALE clothing line –
The Lonsdale 2007 clothing collection
An Overview
Lonsdale clothing line receives its name from
Hugh Cecil Lowther, fifth Earl of Lonsdale. Lord Lonsdale organised boxing matches in 1909 and was president of the National Sporting Club of Britain. Every boxer who became a champion and defended his title successfully three times received the
Lonsdale belt. Bernard Hart, an ex-boxer, visited the Lord in the 1960s and asked for permission to use his name for a clothing brand targeted towards boxers. Lonsdale clothing articles have been worn by many famous boxers throughout history, including
Muhammad Ali,
Mike Tyson,
Henry Cooper and
Lennox Lewis.
The original Lonsdale
If you search the records far enough back you will find that in 1909 Lord Lonsdale, the 5th Earl of the Lonsdale family, was the president of the National Sporting Club of Britain. In 1909 he organized professional boxing according to the Marquis of Queensbury rules. He donated the “Lonsdale” belt as a gift and trophy to the sport. Every British boxer who won a championship and successfully defended it three times was awarded a Lonsdale belt.
Commercialization Of Lonsdale sportswear
Prior to 1960 you weren’t considered a British boxing champion unless you were awarded a Lonsdale belt. Lonsdale always made T-shirts for its fans and boxers, even though the company was never promoted as a designer fashion label, however in the sixties, the professional boxer Bernard Hart obtained permission from James Lowter, the 7th Count of Lonsdale, to use the name “Lonsdale” for the production of technical equipment and sportswear for boxing. James Lowter was grandson of the more famous Cecil Hugh Lowter, 5th Count of Lonsdale, who was the first President of England’s National Sporting Club. London’s Arsenal Football Club owes the yellow color of the “Gunners” to him, who was also known as Count Yellow because of his love for the color. He was also the first to introduce boxing gloves into the ring.
Soon after, Bernard Hart founded Lonsdale Sports Equipment Ltd and opened the famous shop in Beak Street, London, in the heart of Soho, which at first just sold equipment and clothing for boxers but immediately afterwards started to sell casual clothing, including the first commercial Lonsdale branded Tee’s and sweatshirts.
The fashion forward love Lonsdale designer clothingIt was not until 1979 that Lonsdale clothing made its debut in the fashion world. When Paul Weller from The Jam walked into the Lonsdale shop in London to buy Lonsdale T-shirts. The boxing crew had no idea who he was. He then went on tour wearing Lonsdale T-shirts, which established a cool, Rock and Roll image for the label, which quickly created worldwide demand from the fashion hip for all things Lonsdale, including Lonsdale branded hats, Lonsdale sweats, and the original Lonsdale tee shirts.
Lonsdale clothing’s continued success
Thanks to an ever evolving research into fashion, the casual style of Lonsdale clothing continues to set the trend in a public that is ever more transversal and wide-ranging. Fan are not only young hip, style conscious boxing fans, indeed, Lonsdale has always been worn by the most famous names of the international jet set, rock and rollers and fashionista's alike.
The Lonsdale spring 2007 collection and the Lonsdale summer 2007 collections are inspired by the brands’ traditions, even though it introduces new materials and innovative production techniques. Designed with trendy colors, the collection recalls vintage sporty themes and uses unusual combinations of particular materials. While the models are ever changing as well, the line stays faithful to the style that made Lonsdale’s clothing line a success all over the world.
