The South West Film and Television Archive (SWFTA) is the regional film archive for the South West of England. Established in 1993, SWFTA's core collection comprises of the combined programme libraries of Westward Television and TSW (Television South West). The archive also cares for a significant number of donated film collections, both amateur and professional, dating back to the early 1900s.
This film is part of Free
Ladybird' Children's Clothing Company Closure
Ladybird is best, the 20th century's leading children’s brand
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Overview
This film shows work at the ‘Ladybird’ factory based in Plymouth which is soon to close adding to the thousand or so job losses to the South West’s textile industry. Ladybird’s founder, Johannes George Pasold established a knitting and weaving company in Czechoslovakia, producing children’s clothing for the post-war baby boom. Brought to the UK in 1938 by Eric Pasold, the company was aided by a large purchase order from Woolworth’s with whom the brand became synonymous.
The Pasold garments were originally under the brand name ‘White Bear’ the logo similar to that of Glacier Mints, only the UK initially had the Ladybird icon. The Ladybird brand became the most iconic brand of the 20th Century. It bridged the gap between stylish and practical with an attention to sizing never before seen and wartime drab clothes became a thing of the past. Ladybird are credited with the invention of the T-shirt. During the 1980s Woolworths helped to shape the brand into the most affordable high quality children’s clothing brand on the high street, however with Woolworth’s demise in 2009, Ladybird is now part of the UK’s largest online home shopping business ‘Shop Direct’.
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