Special Report 20 years of excellence
In October, Henbury celebrated its 20th anniversary. The brand started with the launch of just five polo shirts and now it is ranked as one of the key players in the corporate and workwear market today. Here Katie Stewart, managing director and founder, takes a whistle stop tour of the last 20 years.
T
cupboard in my flat in Edinburgh – very humble beginnings. At the time that Henbury was created there was a very limited product offer in the market. We wanted to create an aspirational brand that had a retail feel but would appeal to our market in both product offer and price.
The products We launched initially with just five polo shirts, one of which is still in the range today, the H100, and is still made in the same factory as it was on day one. These products were extremely well received and from there we incorporated co-ordinating ladieswear styles as well as the core 65/35 polo. The introduction of woven shirts and trousers put Henbury into the main corporatewear market and the lambswool and cotton acrylic knitwear has enhanced the offer further.
Another key milestone for us involved the launch of the Permanent Wicking Polo Shirt H475 Menʼs and H476 Ladies. The introduction of these polo shirts had a really huge impact on the market. They are exceptionally high quality using the very finest yarns which ensure permanent wicking properties, easy care and durability. Two years after the launch of Henbury we created the SF (Skinnifit) brand. Believe it or not there was not a single ladieswear product in the market at the time, hard to believe when ladieswear features so highly
he story began back in October 1997 when I started the brand from a small
The 1998 brochure cover and the 2017 brochure cover
now in all of our brands. The SF Menʼs and Skinni Minni ranges were added a few years later. We also introduced Bespokebury a couple of years ago. This unique service offers customers the opportunity to have special sizes, colours and styles created either using current Henbury styles and fabrics or creating something unique for themselves. This can give totally flexibility when quoting for a tender or contract order.
Over the years, we have been fortunate enough to add a number of complementing brands to the Henbury portfolio which has allowed us to offer a wide spectrum of
products from waterproof jackets to teddy bear T shirts.
Quality and excellence
Henbury always strives to bring innovative designs with excellent quality, along with reliability, consistency and continuity. We work with the very highest level of manufacturers, developing strong partnerships throughout the world. As a brand we fully recognise the importance of the people and the countries where we manufacture and require that any manufacturer or supplier associated with us share our commitment to fair and safe working practices. We value our relationship with our partners and in many cases we are still working with the same suppliers we had 20 years ago ensuring continuity which is one of the key strengths of the brand. By trading through specialist distributors the brand has evolved, making the business one of the key players in todayʼs supply clothing market. Today, the Henbury brand offers a versatile range of corporate, promotional and workwear clothing, with fashionable design and contemporary styling. With state-of-the-art fabric advancement such as the moisture management technology, Henbury has evolved and adapted to meet the needs of its clients.
The H100 from back in the day and in 2018
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
I have been fortunate enough to work with some very inspiring people who I can now call friends and I look forward to what the future holds for Henbury.
November 2017 | 45 |
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
