A Scottish luxury knitwear brand founded in 1815 in the Scottish Borders and based in Hawick, famous for cashmere twinsets and the argyle pattern.
Pringle of Scotland is a luxury fashion brand that specialises in cashmere knitwear. Wikipedia describes it as one of the world's oldest continually operating fashion companies. It began by making hosiery and underwear, and has made cashmere since 1870. Its best-known designs are the twinset, a matching cardigan and jumper, and the argyle diamond pattern, which it first designed in 1897 and which later moved from socks onto jumpers. In 1934 Otto Weisz became the first full-time designer in the knitwear industry, and its sweaters became a favourite of golfers, with Nick Faldo and Colin Montgomerie sponsored in the 1980s and 1990s.
Robert Pringle founded the company in 1815 in the Scottish Borders. The brand calls itself proudly "of Scotland", and its history pages describe Hawick as the home of the British knitwear industry and of cashmere. The lion on its labels, first used in 1934, reflects its commitment to being British. The pages we could read do not contain a formal mission statement, so we have not invented one. Pringle held the Royal Warrant for knitted garments from 1956 to 2022. It worked with National Museums Scotland on its 200th anniversary and in 2019 made collections with H&M and with skateboard brand Palace.
Pringle is based in Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, where its knitwear is made. Its own Hawick page says the town's clean air and spring water have inspired it for over 200 years. Wikipedia lists flagship shops on Mount Street in London and George Street in Edinburgh, and a design studio in London. Its products are sold through retailers in about 20 countries, according to the same entry. A 1962 visit by the Queen to the newly converted Glebe Mill in Hawick shows how long the town has been the centre of its production.
The people in Pringle's own story are makers. Allan Godfrey, Head of Knitwear, started at Pringle at 16; his father, mother and brothers also worked there, and his father spent 50 years with the company. He describes the workforce as a close-knit family. The company says skilled hands doing hand intarsia, the technique that creates the argyle pattern, can do things that even advanced machines cannot, and describes darning by hand to repair flaws and large steam pressers to finish each piece. Designers have included Clare Waight Keller, Fran Stringer (womenswear, 2016) and Giuseppe Marretta (menswear, 2019), per Wikipedia.
A knitwear house like this employs knitters, linkers who join the pieces together, menders and pressers, pattern makers, designers, merchandisers who plan collections, shop and showroom staff, and marketing, finance and e-commerce teams. If you like making things with your hands, fashion design, or the business side of luxury, it shows the whole chain in one brand. The company's own website is the best place to see which roles are current.
Website: pringlescotland.com
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