Grenfell is a British
luxury fashion house
Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion design ...
established in 1923 by Sir
Wilfred Grenfell and headquartered in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England. It is known for the "Grenfell cloth", a tough, lightweight and water-resistant cotton fabric.
Grenfell cloth
The grenfell cloth is a densely-woven
cotton
Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
gabardine material used to make luxury and outdoor
clothing
Clothing (also known as clothes, garments, dress, apparel, or attire) is any item worn on a human human body, body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin s ...
since its creation in 1923. It was named after Sir
Wilfred Grenfell, a
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
medical missionary working extensively in
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
. He required a cloth to be woven to protect himself from the snow, wind, wet and cold weather he encountered in his work.
The cloth is made from 600
thread-per-inch cotton originally by T. Haythornthwaite & Sons Ltd at Lodge Mill,
Burnley
Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2021 population of 78,266. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River B ...
, in the United Kingdom. It is similar to
Byrd Cloth.
After
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese ownership in the 1980s and 1990s, Grenfell Cloth garments are once again manufactured in Britain. Grenfell is now based in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.
Grenfell Cloth has been used on many expeditions.
See also
*
Ventile
References
External links
History of Grenfell manufacture
Woven fabrics
Textile patterns
Products introduced in 1923
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