The largest producer was William Tatton of Leek, and the Golborne factory was at one time capable of taking the entire output of ICI's Wilton production of Terylene.
Although it was highly profitable in the 1960s, the market collapsed in the 1970s, with ICI taking control of Tattons and Qualitex to form Intex Yarns.
By boiling them for varying periods in a domestic pressure cooker at home, Dennis Hibbert, chief textile engineer at Cheslene and Crepes Sutton Mills, Macclesfield, believed he had found the answer.
The name "Crimplene" was chosen for two reasons: the Crimple Valley nearby to ICI's headquarters in Harrogate, and the word "crimp" (meaning to fold and press).
A 1960 article in the industry journal The Hosiery Times describing the new fabric was followed by widespread publicity and a range of Crimplene clothing was launched at a series of fashion shows in London, Paris, New York and Milan.