Henri Lloyd – The Story & Summer Trends for 2008
Chapter one of Henri Lloyd’s story begins in Manchester in 1963 when Henri Stzelecki saw the chance to make excellent rough weather clothing for sailors – so excellent, in fact that the company spent the next twenty years clothing sailors from all over the world including Sir Francis Chichester and Sir Robin Knox-Johnson on their single-handed, round the world voyages.
So just how did Henri Lloyd begin to make stylish pieces for the fashion conscious as well as waterproof wear for the wet? This is where chapter 2 begins - in Milan in 1984, when a gang of scooter kids (the Paninari) decided to create themselves a uniform – Timberland shoes, Levi 501s and an original Henri Lloyd consort sailing jacket. And that was that, a new street phenomenon was born, a wave of interest spread across Europe, the Pet Shop Boys wrote a song about the Paninari and Henri Lloyd became a byword for modern, young, lifestyle wear for men and for women. By the way the kids were called Paninari (which means sandwich-eaters) cos they liked to hang around eating burgers and sandwiches and drinking beer – sounds good!
This year’s San Tropez campaign is relaxed, with strong nautical influences. It includes many of the major trends for summer 2008 – lightweight sweaters, striped polo shirts and hoods and sailing inspired logo tees. Soft, washed cotton shirts are a mainstay this season (worn alone or open over tees), see them here in checks, stripes and washed out colours. A pair of beat up denims should be on your summer pick list, as should the new shorter, more fitted shorts, which featured heavily on the catwalk this season – Henri Lloyd have followed the trend, going for something a little more grown up than the board shorts of late – take a look for a wide range of flattering styles. The jackets are as great today as they were in 1984 so don’t forget to give those a look too!
Of course, Henri Lloyd’s sailing story didn’t end at the close of chapter one. In fact new chapters keep on opening as the brand continues to develop innovative new designs in sailing gear and to sponsor sailing events and sailors – to name just a few, Skandia Cowes week, Henri Lloyd Falmouth week, Teamorigins, Shirley Robertson, Dee Cafari, and Ben Ainslie as he bids for his third Olympic gold in Beijing this summer.
