English Retail Clothing Stores: Freeman's Catalog


Figure 1.--

Freemans started business in 1905 in Clapham, a gas-lit London suburb. The founders of the Company were A.C. Rampton, W.E. Jones, S.C. Rampton and H.A. Freeman. Each partner put up £100. The first Freemens offices consisted of two rooms in a terraced house, and there was 12 staff. It became one of Britain's most importan mail order clothing catalogs. This was the case in the 1970s. There was an important selection of children's clothes, including school uniforms. The company now has an important om-line presence. Most of Freemans business is now run on an agency basis, with about a million agents serving 3 million customers. Their catalogue includes 1,000's of pages of name brands, including Diesel, Morgan, Warehouse, Levi's and many more. Plus, Denise Van Outen models their exclusive One Collection.

History

Freemans started business in 1905 in Clapham, a gas-lit London suburb. The founders of the Company were A.C. Rampton, W.E. Jones, S.C. Rampton and H.A. Freeman. Each partner put up £100. The first Freemens offices consisted of two rooms in a terraced house, and there was 12 staff. It became one of Britain's most importan mail order clothing catalogs.

Chronology

Freemsan's was a major catalog store in the 1970s. There was an important selection of children's clothes, including school uniforms. A good example is a page for school unifiorm shirts and trousers in the 1973 catalog. Grey items coukld be worn at many different stores.

On-line Store

Freeman's now has an important om-line presence. Most of Freemans business is now run on an agency basis, with about a million agents serving 3 million customers. Their catalogue includes 1,000's of pages of name brands, including Diesel, Morgan, Warehouse, Levi's and many more. Plus, Denise Van Outen models their exclusive One Collection.

Sizes

Some of the sizes detailerd in the Freeman's Catalog were in inches, such as collar sizes. Other sizes were coded and their were charts at the back of the catalog to determine the proper choice. We don't etirlely understand hoew the chsarts worked. For example there was only one inside leg associated with one waist size as if boys all came in the same dimensions. I supose boys were not as varied as adults , but this seems essentially the same as using an age system. There were two charts: A boys' size chart and children's size chart. The chart will help understand the size ranges for the different garments listed in the catalog.







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Created: 12:49 AM 8/9/2009
Last updated: 12:49 AM 8/9/2009