At the end of the Second World War, Henri Strzelecki, a decorated soldier from the Polish Free Army who had fought alongside the British 8th Army in Italy, settled in the North of England in search of a new beginning. ”Mr Henri”, as he was later known, studied textiles and design and soon started a career working with some of the biggest clothing companies in the region. As a keen sailor he soon spotted the potential in the 1960’s wonder fabric Bri-Nylon, however his then employer was not as visionary and rejected the idea that would later revolutionize the world of sailing clothing.

This led to Henri leaving the company and forming Henri Lloyd Limited in June 1st 1963. Henri pioneered the use of new fabrics, closures and safety features within sailing clothing. The first non-corrosive zip, the introduction of Velcro and taped seams are just some of his many innovations.

In 1984, the Milan Scooter Society, the Panninari, adopted a ’uniform’ of Timberland deck shoe, Levi’s 501’s and the Henri Lloyd Consort Original sailing jacket. The jacket was originally designed in 1965 and worn by Sir Francis Chichester on his epic voyage. It was a jacket developed for a life at sea, at least that was what was thought when it was first made, but instead it turned into a street phenomenon that would sweep across Europe. Henri Lloyd’s range of ocean inspired clothing and accessories quickly became an essential fashion accessory for Europe’s image conscious 18-35 year olds and over night the world of Henri Lloyd had turned upside down.

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