Pringle of Scotland

Pringle of Scotland is a luxury knitwear manufacturer and importer. The company has stores in London's Bond Street, Sloane Street and Bluewater Shopping Centre as well as in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan and is sold by retailers in New York City and Milan.

Robert Pringle established 'Pringle of Scotland' in 1815 in the Scottish Borders. Initially the company simply produced hosiery and underwear, and have been producing cashmere since as early as 1870. Otto Weisz was appointed as the first full-time designer in the knitwear industry in 1934. The twinset and the ancient-Scottish Argyle adapted pattern were designed under Weisz's creative direction, which became very popular with several celebrities and screen stars including Jean Simmons, Brigitte Bardot and Grace Kelly.

In 1967, 'Pringle of Scotland' was acquired by Joseph Dawson (Holdings) Limited, who were later renamed Dawson International Plc. The company pursued an international expansion program in the early 1990s; however, they were forced to cut back on many stores and franchisees due to their overly rapid expansion strategy.

Throughout the 1980s and 90s leisure and sportswear played a key role within the 'Pringle of Scotland' brand with top British golf players including Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie being sponsored by the group. It was during the early to mid 80's that Pringle become a household name on the football terraces and still holds a nostalgic place in the heart of the casual movement.

In 2000, the brand which was losing around £4.5M per annum was bought for £6 million by Hong Kong-based S.C. Fang & Sons Company, Ltd. This marked the end of production at the factory in Hawick and manufacture in Scotland, with all manufacturing outsourced to Fang's third-party suppliers in Asia. Some finishing still occurs in Scotland, to allow high-end products to be marked "Produced in Scotland".

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