CELEBRATING 115 YEARS
WELCOME TO OUR STORY
The Alan Paine brand continues the tradition of the past by creating evolutionary style, not revolutionary fashion. Heritage, quintessential English styling and quality is in our DNA.
Our illustrious story begins in the historic market town of Godalming in Surrey, England in 1907 when William Paine (Alan’s father) discovered some 3½ gauge hand knitting machines in the tailors shop he purchased at 72 Hugh St Godalming used by the wife of the previous owner who apparently had an extraordinary ability to explore the mechanical means of making a hand knitted loop stitch. He taught himself to knit. The rest, as they say, is history.
As we celebrate our landmark 115-year anniversary, see how our rich archive continues to inspire new collections.
BEHIND OUR CREST
01 THE RED ROSE
The red rose is a reminder that the first charter was granted in the Tudor times.02 THE TWO SHIELDS
The two shields either side of the rose commemorate Godalming’s first town warden and Salisbury Cathedral which held the manor.03 THE WOOLSACK
The woolsack in the centre represents the traditional local clothing industry and is taken from the 18th century town seal.THE CABLE KNIT
The cable knit was one of the first products produced by Paine’s of Godalming when, as records suggest, William Paine taught himself and others to knit and started producing cable knitwear.
He soon developed his entrepreneurial skills and started selling the cable sweaters to the local private schools, with the addition of their bespoke team colours. Since those early days, the cable jumper has been an integral part of our seasonal collections.
This season is no exception as we showcase a range of cables across a diverse choice of yarns and continually reinvent this classic design.
THE CRICKET SWEATER
Bespoke club-coloured trim sweaters were our speciality in the early years and, before long, the club colours were worn by every cricket, rowing, tennis and golf club in England.
Our most famous unofficial patron, HRH Edward VIII (Prince of Wales) was often seen wearing this style of regimental stripe sweater whilst playing golf and ensured it became one of the must-have fashion items of the 1930’s.
A staple of every collection, the iconic cricket sweater retains its traditional cable structure but is enhanced by contemporary colours and trims and an updated fit.
THE CARDIGAN
The classic cardigan is an open front statement piece with historical provenance. Our cardigans have been a consistently popular part of our knitwear collection typically with the traditional 'V' neck shaping. We also showcase a range of cardigans with the cable knit design.
Today we offer a range of classically designed cardigans featuring contemporary colours in a range of luxury fibres.
SHETLAND WOOL
Our Shetland sweaters have been beloved through the decades for their rugged, distinctive appearance. In fact, a surge in popularity during the seventies saw the phrase ‘handsome sweater’ coined.
Today our designs are a little more subtle and the Shetland wool blended with Lambswool for an extra super soft feel.
Our classic Shetland crew neck continues to be a collection favourite.
EXPLORER
Our innovative English Explorer collection was inspired by our connection with the eminent English mountaineer George Mallory
His frozen body was discovered 75 years after he disappeared on his third expedition to Mount Everest, clothed in knitwear from WF Paine, 72 High Street, Godalming. His spirit of exploration and adventure is reflected in this contemporary collection.
His frozen body was discovered 75 years after he disappeared on his third expedition to Mount Everest, clothed in knitwear from WF Paine, 72 High Street, Godalming. His spirit of exploration and adventure is reflected in this contemporary collection.
COUNTRY COLLECTION
Drawing on our many years of experience has enabled us to create a beautifully crafted, innovative country wear collection.
Crafted from the highest quality materials and delivering a winning combination of performance and comfort, the range includes pure wool tweeds in classic and contemporary colourways, next generation waterproofs, essential mid-layers and must-have accessories designed to take you from town to country.
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