Item 2019.185 - Aertex Artificial Silk Underwear

Aertex is a patented fabric weave that was developed by Lewis Haslam (1856–1922), partner and director of John Haslam & Co. Ltd of Bolton and Manchester in Lancashire, England. He was interested in creating a gauze-like material that would trap heat but also ‘aerate’, to use for underwear and garments worn next to the skin. Wool was the first yarn tried, but problems with washing the fabric led to the weave being successfully manufactured in cotton. It was given the name ‘Cellular’ and three designs were registered in 1886. Haslam set up the Cellular Clothing Co. Ltd to exploit the design and filed a trademark application for apparel in 1889. After another company began using the name Cellular for their product, in 1899 the Cellular Clothing Company trademarked their patented fabric under the label ‘Aertex’.
‘Cellular’ clothing was advertised as being ‘Clothed with Air’, a healthy fabric for men’s underclothing, shirts, pyjamas and nightshirts. It was also used for women’s underwear, including inserts in corsets. The company had premises and factories in Nottingham, Swindon and London. The Cellular Clothing Co. was bought by the Amalgamated Cotton Mills Trust (1919–62; British Van Heusen Co. 1962–3) in 1920. Into the 1930s Aertex garments were increasingly advertised for sportswear and leisure wear as well as for underwear. During the Second World War, Aertex shirts and jackets were issued as part of British Army uniforms for hot weather and base layer underwear vests for Royal Air Force crew.

In 1963 the brand was acquired by Viyella (Coats Viyella 1986–2001) as part of their purchase of British Van Heusen Co., and Aertex shifted to be primarily identified with sportswear and school wear. In 1969 the England men’s football team wore Umbro uniforms made with Aertex for their tour to Mexico and in 1970, concerned about the heat, team manager Alf Ramsey was said to have insisted on Aertex for shirts and shorts for the team’s Mexican World Cup uniforms, which Umbro produced in white and pale blue. The name ‘aertex’ or sometimes ‘airtex’ is now frequently used to refer to other types of mesh or perforated fabric, including those made of synthetics. Aertex was sold to Ellis Franks’s (b. 1945) Aertex Ltd in 2003 with Franks repositioning the brand to target a younger male market.
Sources: David Newton, Trademarked: A History of Well-Known Brands – From Aertex to Wright’s Coal Tar (Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 2008); Grace’s Guide to British Industrial History; Drapers.