Identity area
Reference code
2019.115
Title
Harrods White Shorts
Date(s)
- 1945 (Creation)
Level of description
Item
Extent and medium
1
Context area
Name of creator
(1849-)
Administrative history
Charles Henry Harrod (1799–1885) began his career as a draper in 1824, but it was not until 1849 that the Harrod’s business relocated to London’s Knightsbridge. Harrod’s son, Charles Digby Harrod (1841– 1905) grew the business into a thriving retail operation and, by 1881, Harrods had acquired adjacent buildings and employed a hundred people. In 1889 Charles Harrod sold his interest in the store for
£120,000 via a stock market floatation. The new company was called Harrods Stores Ltd. In 1959, House of Fraser, a British department store holding company, acquired Harrods. In an attempt to appeal to a younger customer accustomed to shopping in unisex boutiques on Carnaby Street and the King’s Road, Harrods opened Way In on the fourth floor in 1967. It was redesigned and renamed the Fashion Lab department in 2013. The menswear department is currently situated in the basement of the store. In 1985, the Fayed brothers acquired House of Fraser for £615 million, which included Harrods. In 1994 Harrods was moved out of the House of Fraser Group and remained in the Fayed family’s ownership, while House of Fraser was listed on the London Stock Exchange. In May 2010, Harrods was sold to Qatar Holdings, the Qatari state’s sovereign wealth fund.
Source: The Independent.
£120,000 via a stock market floatation. The new company was called Harrods Stores Ltd. In 1959, House of Fraser, a British department store holding company, acquired Harrods. In an attempt to appeal to a younger customer accustomed to shopping in unisex boutiques on Carnaby Street and the King’s Road, Harrods opened Way In on the fourth floor in 1967. It was redesigned and renamed the Fashion Lab department in 2013. The menswear department is currently situated in the basement of the store. In 1985, the Fayed brothers acquired House of Fraser for £615 million, which included Harrods. In 1994 Harrods was moved out of the House of Fraser Group and remained in the Fayed family’s ownership, while House of Fraser was listed on the London Stock Exchange. In May 2010, Harrods was sold to Qatar Holdings, the Qatari state’s sovereign wealth fund.
Source: The Independent.
Repository
Archival history
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
White cotton twill sports shorts with double buckle tabs at the centre front waistband for fastening. Button fly and inset pockets in the side seams. Makers label with date on the inside.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Label: HARRODS 1945 / Size S / W 32 IL 9
Materials: cotton
Materials: cotton
Finding aids
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Note
Invisible Men exhibition label:
WHITE SHORTS
Harrods
1945
Men have worn shorts for some sporting activities since the mid-1800s. They became more acceptable and were worn more widely from the 1930s. These white cotton sports shorts feature a high waistband with two buckle fastenings so they can be securely tightened.
Cotton
Archive no. 2019.115
Note
Invisible Men exhibition label:
WHITE SHORTS
Harrods
1945
Men have worn shorts for some sporting activities since the mid-1800s. They became more acceptable and were worn more widely from the 1930s. These white cotton sports shorts feature a high waistband with two buckle fastenings so they can be securely tightened.
Cotton
Archive no. 2019.115