Woolrich

Woolrich

THE WOOLRICH COMPANY WAS FOUNDED IN PENNSYLVANIA BY THE RICH BROTHERS IN 1830.

Woolrich is an American ready-to-wear fashion company. It was founded in Pennsylvania by the Rich brothers, in 1830.

Woolrich Adv
Woolrich Adv

In 1845, the company moved to Woolrich where it still is and, shortly after, it was definitively transformed into a clothing industry. In the 1930s, it launched its first line of clothing for motorists. Later in 1845, Rich opened a second factory, known as Woolen Mill, in a location near Chatam Rum, where there is a water source.

THE WOOLRICH COMPANY

The company became one of the US Army’s suppliers during the American Civil War and World War I, and supplied the explorers with yarn and clothing during Admiral Richard E. Byrd’s Antarctic expeditions. The Arctic Parka soon became synonymous with warm, temperature-resistant outerwear, and the number of workers living in the area began to grow, until the settlement began to be called simply Woolrich. Shops, meeting places and everything else needed for a town were quickly built around the factory. In the 1950s, the plaid Tv Jackets were launched. In the 1980s, the introduction of fabrics such as Goretex and Cordura allowed for the production of increasingly avant-garde garments, a trend that continued into the 1990s with the use of materials such as Island Cotton, Riverwash and Canvas. A few years later, W.P. Lavori in Corso imported the brand into Italy, giving rise to the Parka windbreaker phenomenon.

SUPPLIERS TO THE USA ARMY

In 1985, Woolrich began working with the Italian company WP Lavori in Corso, which was responsible for distributing the brand first in Italy, then (from 1998) in Europe and Asia, also contributing to design changes. Thanks to this link, Woolrich will open single-brand shops in Europe, and during 2012 further single-brand shops will be opened in Göteborge in Seoul, South Korea.

Under the Woolrich brand and alongside the Woolrich John Rich & Bros line, other lines have been developed such as Woolrich Woolen Mills, and Woolrich Penn-Rich.

THE ACQUISITIONS

In November 2016, WP Lavori in Corso, led by Cristina Calori, acquired 80% of the American company. In October 2018, a new change of ownership took place: the brand was sold to the LGam fund, a Luxembourg company owned by the ruling family of Liechtenstein, along with Andrea Canè, the brand’s historic creative director, the new CEO, Stefano Saccone, born and raised in the United States.

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