Pringle of Scotland is one of the oldest names of the Scottish Boarders, the iconic birthplace of the British knitwear industry.
From the beginning, this was Pringle of Scotland’s home where it became one of the first luxury knitwear manufacturers in the world. Founded in 1815 by Robert Pringle, the company began as a manufacturer of hosiery and underwear. It has been knitting cashmere since the 1870’s and was one of the first brands to introduce knitwear as outerwear in the early 1900’s. The unique properties of knitwear when worn on the body, such as its warmth, flexibility and breathability, are fundamental to the adoption of jumpers and cardigans into the modern wardrobe.
Many of the influences on the twentieth century women’s fashion, such as sports clothing and borrowings from the male wardrobe, can be traced through surviving knitted garments. Pringle of Scotland also created the intarsia design known today as the signature argyle pattern, which was immediately adopted by the Duke of Windsor and the fashionable set of the time. Pringle took a sporty two-piece cardigan and sweater set from the golf course and re-tailored it to create the ‘Twinset’ worn at sophisticated tea parties. This was teamed with a single string of pearls and an icon of classic British style was born.
The brand has been a favourite of the stars of stage and screen since the 1940’s. In the 1950’s, the original sweater girls: Jean Simmons, Margaret Lockwood, Deborah Kerr, Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot, Margot Fonteyn and many more all wore Pringle. Modern day influences include Tilda Swinton, Douglas Gordon, Luke Evans and David Shrigley among many others have also graced the doors of the heritage brand.
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