Corgi Socks is the trading name of Corgi Hosiery Limited, a manufacturer of luxury

socks A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically worn over socks. In ancient times, socks were made from leather or matted animal hair. In the late ...

and

knitwear Knitted fabric is a textile that results from knitting, the process of inter-looping of yarns or inter-meshing of loops. Its properties are distinct from woven fabric in that it is more flexible and can be more readily constructed into smaller pi ...

in hand-knitted

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...

and cashmere. Its factory is located in

Ammanford Ammanford ( cy, Rhydaman) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, with a population of 5,411 at the 2011 census. It is a former coal mining town. The built-up area had a population of 7,945 with the wider urban area even bigger. Acco ...

, Wales, UK where it currently employs around 50 people. The business is a subsidiary of Dewhurst Dent Plc, owners of

Dents Dents is a British company that crafts luxury leather gloves, handbags, small leather goods. Dents is known for its hand cutting, sewing, and stitching techniques, which are still practised today on some limited top-end products, most merchand ...

. It has a reputation as a manufacturer of luxury socks and its customers include the British royal family.

History of the business

Corgi was founded in 1892. It began as a maker of socks for

Welsh miners Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

and moved on to making

argyle pattern An argyle (, occasionally spelled argyll) pattern is made of diamonds or lozenges. The word is sometimes used to refer to an individual diamond in the design, but more commonly refers to the overall pattern. Most argyle contains layers of overl ...

socks for

Brooks Brothers Brooks Brothers, founded in Manhattan, New York, in 1818, is the oldest apparel brand in continuous operation in America. Originally a family business, Brooks Brothers produces clothing for men, women and children, as well as home furnishings. B ...

in 1939. Corgi made socks for the British troops during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Over the years Corgi has gone in and out of different ownership, but has always been run by the Jones family. It was founded by Rhys Jones and is now run by his great, great grandchildren, siblings Chris Jones and Lisa Wood, who took over from their father Huw Jones in 1997 and transitioned the business from making socks under other people's labels to growing the Corgi brand. It has been a subsidiary of Dewhurst Dent PLC since 2008. Corgi now makes knitwear under its own brand as well as for designers like

Burberry Burberry is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry headquartered in London, England. It currently designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats (for which it is most famous), leather accessories, ...

and

Thom Browne Thom Browne (born September 27, 1965) is an American fashion designer. He is the founder and head of design for Thom Browne, a luxury fashion brand based in New York City. Browne debuted his womenswear collection in 2014. Early life and education ...

. In 2015, the business expanded with a 3,000-square feet extension and new knitting machines.

Machinery and manufacture

Corgi uses many older machines in its manufacturing, including rare 125-year-old Griswold hand-knitting machines, and links the toes of its socks by hand using traditional methods. Knitwear is hand-framed and intricate

intarsia Intarsia is a form of wood inlaying that is similar to marquetry. The start of the practice dates from before the seventh century AD. The technique of intarsia inlays sections of wood (at times with contrasting ivory or bone, or mother-of-pear ...

designs can be created.

In the media

It was reported that

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...

bought her socks from Corgi, and Prince George has a jumper made by the company. To raise funds for those impacted by the

Manchester Arena bombing On 22 May 2017, an Islamist extremist suicide bomber detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb as people were leaving the Manchester Arena following a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande. Twenty-three people were killed, including ...

, socks decorated with bees were made – bees being a symbol of Manchester. In 2012 the company was fined following mishandling of

asbestos Asbestos () is a naturally occurring fibrous silicate mineral. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous crystals, each fibre being composed of many microscopic "fibrils" that can be released into the atmosphere b ...

by contractors during renovations to the roof.

Awards

Corgi received a

Royal Warrant A royal warrant is a document issued by a monarch which confers rights or privileges on the recipient, or has the effect of law. Royal warrant may refer to: * Royal warrant of appointment, warrant to tradespeople who supply goods or services to a r ...

from the Prince of Wales (now

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

) in 1989.

References

{{reflist 1892 establishments in Wales British companies established in 1892 British Royal Warrant holders Clothing companies established in 1892 Companies based in Carmarthenshire Knitwear manufacturers Clothing companies of Wales Socks Hosiery brands

History of the business

Machinery and manufacture

In the media

Awards

See also

References