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Fashion overview: 1909 to 2004 |
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Woolies
have been in the fashion business since before our first day in the UK,
but the modern Ladybird, Gloss and Etcetera ranges have only taken shape
more recently.
When we first opened up shop in Liverpool in 1909 the world was a very different place. Many more mums made clothes for their families (particularly their children and themselves) rather than buying them at all. Woolworths helped make that possible by offering patterns, needles and thread, buttons and ribbon, all at prices of sixpence (2½p) or less. In our very first stores you could buy a whole book of patterns, complete with detailed instructions on how to make each garment and exactly what materials you would need to buy in the store all for 3D (1.25p). |
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beginners there were starter kits with everything you needed to make
baby's mittens, or a bonnet or booties all for sixpence.
These were very popular and some stores sold hundreds of packets each
season.
In the days before television many mums and older children would knit, sew or crochet to pass the time in the evening. |
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Woolies
were still selling paper patterns for sixpence at the beginning of the
1960s, so some of today's mums and dads grew up in outfits like these
that their mums and grannies knitted at home - all with Woolworths Wool
and Knitting Needles of course!
It wasn't that unusual for the men to do crochet work as well, though not many would admit it to their mates ! |
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| Until
World War II Woolworths were called the Threepenny and Sixpenny Stores
because most things were one of those prices. Not a single thing
was more than sixpence.
This meant that ready-made fashions were mainly limited to underwear, socks, hankies and accessories like scarves and gloves. These were all sold in enormous quantities. |
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In 1932, a very persistent supplier salesman called Rolf Pasold called at Woolworths Head office. He'd been trying to persuade Woolies to buy his fashions for some time. This time he'd bought samples of Ladies silk Directoire knickers. | ||
| The Buyer was very impressed by the quality of the samples and a few days later went to visit the factory in Langley, Berkshire. He placed a huge order and the items sold out as fast as Mr. Pasold could make them. Throughout the 1930s and 40s, sales grew and grew, with Woolies buying a range of simple garments from many British manufacturers, including the occasional blouse and nightdress, often made from silk and always of the finest quality. Many of these were in children's sizes. In 1938 Pasolds started to brand their items Ladybird, but for quite a long time couldn't persuade Woolies or Marks and Spencer to take Ladybird labelled items. Both companies preferred to sell their clothing products under their own names. |  |
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| Rapid price inflation in the early years of the war forced Woolies to abandon their upper price limit, and by the end of the war they were offering a broader range at prices of up to five shillings (25p). Clothing was rationed and customers often complained that they had very few ration coupons, but even when they had a coupon to spend very few shops had any items to sell them. By the early 1950s rationing and shortages were a thing of the past. Woolies started to go in for fashion in a big way, with ranges for children alongside mens and ladies clothes. | ||||
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| By the 1960s Woolworths had a big range of fashions in the largest stores. The range was at the low-priced end of the market, and some items were very good, but the quality was variable and meant some people were disappointed. Meanwhile the Ladybird brand of garments were getting better and better, but being sold in department stores and up-market fashion shops. Many of the children's items were twice as expensive as the adult equivalent in the Woolies range. | ||||
| In
the early 1980s Woolworths were taken over by a group of British
businessmen who were determined to make changes. They closed many
of the larger stores using the money to build up B&Q and other
businesses.
But by 1985 they had recognised the potential of the Woolworths business and set about modernising it. They decided to drop adult outerwear to concentrate on doing a much bigger range of children's clothing and very much better quality. And they were determined to offer great value for money. To deliver this strategy they arranged for Woolworths stores to become the exclusive outlet for Ladybird clothes. |
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From
day one the Ladybird ranges were very popular with customers. The
designs were brighter, the product quality was consistently high, and
many mums and dads couldn't understand how Woolies could deliver such
great garments at such keen prices. High quality children's
clothes were no longer for rich families, thanks to Woolworths big
buying power.
The first displays don't look spectacular, but the garments largely sold themselves. Since 1985 the Buying Team at Woolies have worked with garment technologists all over the world to develop bigger, brighter ranges - building Britain's biggest market share of clothes for 0-3 year olds. Today companies around the world stock Ladybird products, licenced from Woolies in the UK. The clothes win awards from fashion writers because they're made to last, but kids love them because they well designed and fun to wear. |
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Fashion
overview 1909-2004 Paper
patterns, cotton and thread Legend
of the Scarlet Ladybird
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