Horrockses, Crewdson & Co.

[1] As the business began to develop, John asked his brother Samuel Horrocks to join him and made him a partner within the firm.

[4] By 1815, the company was called Horrocks, Miller and Co. Thomas Miller began to work for the Horrocks brothers in 1802, specialising in clouding,[5] which was a different type of yarn developed by twist and colour, and was achieved by running two yarns of strongly contrasted colours through separate pairs of rollers.

[6] Thomas Miller was originally from Bolton, but was recommended to John and Samuel Horrocks and they made him a partner of the firm.

The lack of documents within the Horrockses, Crewdson & Co. collection at Lancashire Archives[8] often produces gaps in the history of the company.

[9] The scheme was a voluntary merger of factories in order to free up space and production facilities for essential war work.

Ready-to-wear manufacture had been growing steadily during the period between the two world wars and Horrockses, Crewdson & Co. saw the opportunities for the business.

The popularity of the clothing expanded Horrockses Fashions line was soon producing items ranging from simple cotton shirtwaisters to glamorous evening gowns.

[13] Records show Horrockses, Crewdson & Co. expanded overseas, with a foreign agency in Portugal in 1823 and another in India in 1830.

[15] Horrockses, Crewdson & Co. retained a presence in Preston even when headquarters moved to London as the company grew.

In the 20th century, the company received royal visits, including from foreign monarchy such as King Fuad of Egypt in 1927 and the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1929.

The 2011 relaunch was initiated by Brookman Home, the firm which inherited the Horrockses brand, and consisted of a collection of bed linens, inspired by original dress designs.

[19] Bluewell Ventures acquired the name for a six-figure sum, and said it would relaunch Horrockses as a fashion label and target international markets.

[21] The fashion line is made with cloth printed in the UK with dresses manufactured in London,[22] and inspired by the original patterns from the brand's peak years.