Viyella in administration

Viyella , the first branded fabric in the world and a British institution, has gone into administration. Viyella fabric was a blend of wool and cotton first woven in 1893 in England and made of 55 per cent merino wool and 45 per cent cotton in a twill weave, developed by James and Robert Sissons of William Hollins & Company, spinners and hosiers. The brand name, first registered as a trademark in 1894 and registered in the United States in 1907, soon covered not only the original fabric, to be sold by the yard but also clothing.

At first this was made by separate businesses, but it was not long before Hollins started producing their own clothes and offering franchises to manufacturers who would use the Viyella label. Following increasing emphasis on garment manufacture over the years, Viyella was a fashion brand for clothes and home furnishings made of a variety of fabrics. However the credit crisis proved too much for the brand and "following an assessment of the current economic situation and the prospects for the future, the directors have reluctantly decided that they have no alternative but to place the business into administration," the company said.

Viyella is owned by British firm Waterlinks Investments, whose principals are John Harris and Sue Watson. Viyella's menswear and homeware businesses are unaffected. Paul Rigby, director of Viyella menswear, said: "Our operation is a separate entity and we are still very much in business. "None of our orders are affected and we are in fact enjoying growth."

Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB union, said: "The City fat cats and their hangers-on who brought us the credit crunch have now brought down another iconic brand.There had been speculation for days that the future of the company was uncertain.

Image: Viyella logo