Kangol is a British clothing company famous for its headwear. The name Kangol reflects the original materials for production, the K coming from the word 'silK' (a recent attribution to 'Knitting' is incorrect), the ANG from 'ANGora', and the OL from 'woOL'. Although no Kangol hat has ever actually been manufactured in Australia, the Kangaroo logo was adopted by Kangol in 1983 because Americans commonly asked where they could get "the Kangaroo hat".[1]
Founded in 1938 by a Polish Jew, Jacques Spreiregen, Kangol produced hats for workers, golfers, and especially soldiers. Spreiregen, born Jacob Henryk Spreiregen in Warsaw in 1893, emigrated with his family to Paris in 1906. He then moved to London in 1914, where he worked as an importer and seller of various products that included wool, woollen goods, and berets. He served in the British Army in World War I, joining the Labour Corps to drive ambulances, and obtained British nationality in 1920. In 1938 he was joined by his nephew Joseph Meisner to open and run the first Kangol factory at Cleator, Cumbria, England. A second factory was opened at nearby Frizington, and later, under the direction of Spreiregen's younger nephew Sylvain Meisner, a third factory, manufacturing motorcycle helmets and seat belts in Carlisle. Kangol was the major supplier of berets for the armed forces during World War II; the company also provided the berets for the British Olympic Team in 1948.
Recent history
Kangol has been owned by Sports Direct since 2006, when it acquired the brand from private-equity fund August Equity Trust. Licences to manufacture and sell Kangol apparel have been sold to many different companies, including D2 and Topshop. In 2002, the Kangol apparel brand was acquired by Kangol Clothing North America LLC, a subsidiary of Chesterfield Manufacturing Corp in Charlotte North Carolina. In 2003, Chesterfield was acquired by Tomasello Inc., which was wholly owned and led by David W. Tomasello. The global rights to Kangol hats have been held by American hatmakers Bollman Hat Company since 2002.[2]
It was announced in February 2009 that Bollman were reviewing their worldwide operations, putting 33 jobs and the future of the Kangol head office in Cleator in doubt.[3] On 6 April 2009, it was announced that the original factory would be converted to a warehouse with the loss of 25 jobs. No employees now remain employed at the company's original site as the outlet shop closed at the end of August 2009. The site in Frizington is now a housing estate, whilst the original Cleator site has been partly demolished to provide a Park & Ride facility for nearby Sellafield and to facilitate other potential redevelopment. However, hats will continue to be made at their sites in Eastern Europe and the United States.[4]
The brand was popularised even more by the 1991 movie New Jack City. The release of more consciously stylish products in the 1990s such as the furgora (angora-wool mix) Spitfire, was helped by its presence upon the head of Samuel L. Jackson in 1997.[5]Kevin Eubanks, bandleader for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, sported a Kangol beret on an almost nightly basis.
In 2009, Eminem wore the Cotton Twill Army Cap Kangol hat on his Beautiful video.[6]
Slick Rick references Kangol in his songs "La Di Da Di" and "Mona Lisa".
Boogie Boys reference Kangol in their song "A Fly Girl". The lyrics line reads, "Girls look fly in Kangols".
Wesley Snipes as Nino Brown and his gang, the Cash Money Brothers, wear hats by Kangol throughout the movie New Jack City.
Samuel L. Jackson is known for wearing Kangol hats. His character Ordell Robbie wore a Kangol back to front in the movie Jackie Brown.
The hip hop group De La Soul referenced Kangol in the song "Fallin'" (featuring Teenage Fanclub) on the soundtrack of the 1993 film Judgment Night with the lines "I knew I blew the whole fandango/When the drum programmer wore a Kangol".
Steve Carell is shown wearing a Kangol hat as Michael Scott in the show The Office, in the episode "Happy Hour" (season 6, episode 21).
Tyler James Williams is shown wearing a Kangol hat as Chris in the show Everybody Hates Chris in the episodes "Everybody Hates DJs" (season 2, episode 17) and "Everybody Hates Gambling" (season 2, episode 19). Furthermore, the character of Drew, played by Tequan Richmond, receives a Kangol hat as a present from his and Chris's father in the episode "Everybody Hates My Man" (season 4, episode 5).
Rapper Dana Dane tells a story of how his straw hat turns into a Kangol in his song, "Cinderfella Dana Dane".
The movie Straight Outta Compton features a scene where Ice Cube gets into a dispute with a New York rapper, eventually telling him "Wearing a Kangol don't make you LL Cool J!"
N.W.A reference Kangol in their song "If It Ain't Ruff," written and performed by MC Ren. The lyrics are "Against a brother on a tip, with a Kangol"
Soul singer Gregory Porter wears a Kangol Summer Spitfire cap on every occasion. The headwear is so synonymous with Gregory, that it has almost become his trademark.
In Big Mouth season 3 episode 1, Andrew wears a Kangol hat to impress his ex.
in Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 5 episode 19 titled "Bachelor/ette Party", Captain Raymond Holt uncharacteristically wears a Kangol hat to comedic effect.[7]
A Kangol 504 worn (backwards) by Dion DiMucci for many years.
^. Bollman Hat Company. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
^Butler, Sarah (5 December 2006). . The Times. London, UK. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
^Legg, Matthew (9 February 2009). "Kangol jobs at risk as Cleator hat factory faces closure". News and Star. Carlisle, Cumbria, England. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
^"Further blow to textile industry". BBC News. 6 April 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
^ ab"A beret good show: 70 years of Kangol". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 26 November 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
^EminemMusic (25 November 2009). "Eminem - Beautiful (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
^"Brooklyn Nine-Nine's "Bachelor/Ette Party" really is a "cray cray night of funky fun"".
External links
Official website
"Working for Kangol"—BBC Cumbria
Cleator Flax Mill
"Making a Beret for Bette Davis"—BBC Cumbria
January 30, 2023
kangol, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, september, 2022, le. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Kangol news newspapers books scholar JSTOR September 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Kangol is a British clothing company famous for its headwear The name Kangol reflects the original materials for production the K coming from the word silK a recent attribution to Knitting is incorrect the ANG from ANGora and the OL from woOL Although no Kangol hat has ever actually been manufactured in Australia the Kangaroo logo was adopted by Kangol in 1983 because Americans commonly asked where they could get the Kangaroo hat 1 KangolTypeSubsidiaryIndustryTextileFounded1938FounderJacques SpreiregenHeadquartersCleator Cumbria EnglandProductsHeadwearParentFrasers GroupWebsitekangol wbr com Contents 1 Early history 2 Recent history 3 Pop fashion 4 In popular culture 5 References 6 External linksEarly history EditFounded in 1938 by a Polish Jew Jacques Spreiregen Kangol produced hats for workers golfers and especially soldiers Spreiregen born Jacob Henryk Spreiregen in Warsaw in 1893 emigrated with his family to Paris in 1906 He then moved to London in 1914 where he worked as an importer and seller of various products that included wool woollen goods and berets He served in the British Army in World War I joining the Labour Corps to drive ambulances and obtained British nationality in 1920 In 1938 he was joined by his nephew Joseph Meisner to open and run the first Kangol factory at Cleator Cumbria England A second factory was opened at nearby Frizington and later under the direction of Spreiregen s younger nephew Sylvain Meisner a third factory manufacturing motorcycle helmets and seat belts in Carlisle Kangol was the major supplier of berets for the armed forces during World War II the company also provided the berets for the British Olympic Team in 1948 Recent history EditKangol has been owned by Sports Direct since 2006 when it acquired the brand from private equity fund August Equity Trust Licences to manufacture and sell Kangol apparel have been sold to many different companies including D2 and Topshop In 2002 the Kangol apparel brand was acquired by Kangol Clothing North America LLC a subsidiary of Chesterfield Manufacturing Corp in Charlotte North Carolina In 2003 Chesterfield was acquired by Tomasello Inc which was wholly owned and led by David W Tomasello The global rights to Kangol hats have been held by American hatmakers Bollman Hat Company since 2002 2 It was announced in February 2009 that Bollman were reviewing their worldwide operations putting 33 jobs and the future of the Kangol head office in Cleator in doubt 3 On 6 April 2009 it was announced that the original factory would be converted to a warehouse with the loss of 25 jobs No employees now remain employed at the company s original site as the outlet shop closed at the end of August 2009 The site in Frizington is now a housing estate whilst the original Cleator site has been partly demolished to provide a Park amp Ride facility for nearby Sellafield and to facilitate other potential redevelopment However hats will continue to be made at their sites in Eastern Europe and the United States 4 Pop fashion EditIn the 1960s designers Mary Quant and Pierre Cardin worked with the company whose products graced the heads of the rich and famous including the Beatles and Arnold Palmer and later Diana Princess of Wales The company also supplied uniformed organisations such as the Scout Association 5 In the 1980s Kangol berets entered a new phase of fashion history with their adoption by members of the hip hop community such as Grandmaster Flash Run DMC LL Cool J Slick Rick Kangol Kid of UTFO and The Notorious B I G The brand was popularised even more by the 1991 movie New Jack City The release of more consciously stylish products in the 1990s such as the furgora angora wool mix Spitfire was helped by its presence upon the head of Samuel L Jackson in 1997 5 Kevin Eubanks bandleader for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno sported a Kangol beret on an almost nightly basis In 2009 Eminem wore the Cotton Twill Army Cap Kangol hat on his Beautiful video 6 In popular culture Edit Samuel L Jackson at San Diego ComicCon 2008 Slick Rick references Kangol in his songs La Di Da Di and Mona Lisa Boogie Boys reference Kangol in their song A Fly Girl The lyrics line reads Girls look fly in Kangols Wesley Snipes as Nino Brown and his gang the Cash Money Brothers wear hats by Kangol throughout the movie New Jack City Samuel L Jackson is known for wearing Kangol hats His character Ordell Robbie wore a Kangol back to front in the movie Jackie Brown The hip hop group De La Soul referenced Kangol in the song Fallin featuring Teenage Fanclub on the soundtrack of the 1993 film Judgment Night with the lines I knew I blew the whole fandango When the drum programmer wore a Kangol Steve Carell is shown wearing a Kangol hat as Michael Scott in the show The Office in the episode Happy Hour season 6 episode 21 Tyler James Williams is shown wearing a Kangol hat as Chris in the show Everybody Hates Chris in the episodes Everybody Hates DJs season 2 episode 17 and Everybody Hates Gambling season 2 episode 19 Furthermore the character of Drew played by Tequan Richmond receives a Kangol hat as a present from his and Chris s father in the episode Everybody Hates My Man season 4 episode 5 Rapper Dana Dane tells a story of how his straw hat turns into a Kangol in his song Cinderfella Dana Dane The movie Straight Outta Compton features a scene where Ice Cube gets into a dispute with a New York rapper eventually telling him Wearing a Kangol don t make you LL Cool J N W A reference Kangol in their song If It Ain t Ruff written and performed by MC Ren The lyrics are Against a brother on a tip with a Kangol Soul singer Gregory Porter wears a Kangol Summer Spitfire cap on every occasion The headwear is so synonymous with Gregory that it has almost become his trademark In Big Mouth season 3 episode 1 Andrew wears a Kangol hat to impress his ex in Brooklyn Nine Nine season 5 episode 19 titled Bachelor ette Party Captain Raymond Holt uncharacteristically wears a Kangol hat to comedic effect 7 A Kangol 504 worn backwards by Dion DiMucci for many years Tupac Shakur wore a Kangol hat in the 1996 film Bullet References Edit Kangol Bollman Hat Company Archived from the original on 3 February 2014 Retrieved 6 March 2019 Butler Sarah 5 December 2006 Sports World owner sees right fit for Kangol hats The Times London UK Archived from the original on 12 June 2011 Retrieved 6 April 2009 Legg Matthew 9 February 2009 Kangol jobs at risk as Cleator hat factory faces closure News and Star Carlisle Cumbria England Retrieved 19 August 2015 Further blow to textile industry BBC News 6 April 2009 Retrieved 6 April 2009 a b A beret good show 70 years of Kangol The Scotsman Edinburgh 26 November 2008 Retrieved 19 August 2015 EminemMusic 25 November 2009 Eminem Beautiful Official Music Video YouTube Archived from the original on 11 December 2021 Retrieved 6 January 2019 Brooklyn Nine Nine s Bachelor Ette Party really is a cray cray night of funky fun External links EditOfficial website Working for Kangol BBC Cumbria Cleator Flax Mill Making a Beret for Bette Davis BBC Cumbria Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kangol amp oldid 1124172087, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
