Berlei
Encyclopedia
Berlei is a brand
of women's lingerie
and in particular bra
s and girdle
s
.
in 1917
. Berlei undergarments are now sold in Australia by Pacific Brands
and in the United Kingdom
by Courtaulds Textiles.
The name came from that of the firm's founder, Frederick R. Burley, who felt that his name as normally spelled was not appropriate to his products.
Berlei Limited was one of the first Australian companies to expand outside Australia. Berlei (New Zealand
) Limited was incorporated in 1923 and Berlei (U.K.) Limited was organised in 1930.
- 26 May 1954, Wahroonga, New South Wales
) was the founder of Berlei.
Burley was a pioneer in employee relations and an accomplished public citizen, holding office in the Rotary Club and contributing to other worthy organizations. In the custom of Rotary he would introduce himself to other clubs with his name, his club, and his occupation as a "maker of jewel caskets".
In 1923 he founded the Australian Made Preference League and served as the first president of the League. The League created the Great White Train
as a promotional tool for early Australian industries.
He travelled widely to learn business and trade information, to make business partnerships, and to get materials for his factories.
The movie Undercover was made about the early years of the Berlei company and the life of Frederick R Burley.
basis. Fred made his first overseas business trip to the US in 1913 to learn methods and machines of the time. The brand name of Berlei was coined soon after and was registered in Australia in 1917. United Corsets became Berlei Limited in 1920.
The original factory was in Wilmot Street, Sydney with additional space being used in Liverpool Street.
In January 1922, the factory was moved to Berlei House
in Regent Street.
Fred Burley's vision for the company was "To Design and Manufacture Corsets and Brassieres of such perfect Fit, Quality, and Workmanship, as will bring pleasure and profit to all concerned, while at the same time rendering such excellent service to our Clients and Consumers as will merit their permanent patronage".
Berlei's approach to marketing was professional.
Bendon Berlei Limited merged with Ceramco Apparel Group Limited on 8 April 1981.
A 'modern' factory was built in Slough in 1937, it was demolished in 1984.
Berlei (UK) was purchased from Berlei Hestia of Australia in 1982
Berlei (UK) called in a receiver in November 1985, subsequently it was purchased by Courtaulds Textiles
.
In March 2000, Courtaulds Textiles was sold to Sara Lee .
Sara Lee sold Courtaulds Textiles to Hong Kong based PD Enterprise Limited in May 2006 .
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
of women's lingerie
Lingerie
Lingerie are fashionable and possibly alluring undergarments.Lingerie usually incorporates one or more flexible, stretchy materials like Lycra, nylon , polyester, satin, lace, silk and sheer fabric which are not typically used in more functional, basic cotton undergarments.The term in the French...
and in particular bra
Brassiere
A brassiere is an undergarment that covers, supports, and elevates the breasts. Since the late 19th century, it has replaced the corset as the most widely accepted method for supporting breasts....
s and girdle
Girdle
A girdle is a garment that encircles the lower torso, perhaps extending below the hips, and worn often for support. The word girdle originally meant a belt. In modern English, the term girdle is most commonly used for a form of women's foundation wear that replaced the corset in popularity...
s
.
History
The brand originated in AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 1917
. Berlei undergarments are now sold in Australia by Pacific Brands
Pacific Brands
Pacific Brands is a major Australian company marketing Berlei, Bonds, Clarks , Dunlop, Everlast, Grosby, Holeproof, Hush Puppies, King Gee, Malvern Star, Sheridan, Slazenger, Sleepmaker and Tontine . It once held the Asian Pacific licence for British Knights footwear. It was formed as a division of...
and in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by Courtaulds Textiles.
The name came from that of the firm's founder, Frederick R. Burley, who felt that his name as normally spelled was not appropriate to his products.
Berlei Limited was one of the first Australian companies to expand outside Australia. Berlei (New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
) Limited was incorporated in 1923 and Berlei (U.K.) Limited was organised in 1930.
Founder
Frederick R. Burley (29 May 1885, Hamilton, VictoriaHamilton, Victoria
Hamilton is a city in western Victoria, Australia. It is located at the intersection of the Glenelg Highway and the Henty Highway...
- 26 May 1954, Wahroonga, New South Wales
Wahroonga, New South Wales
Wahroonga is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wahroonga is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire....
) was the founder of Berlei.
Burley was a pioneer in employee relations and an accomplished public citizen, holding office in the Rotary Club and contributing to other worthy organizations. In the custom of Rotary he would introduce himself to other clubs with his name, his club, and his occupation as a "maker of jewel caskets".
In 1923 he founded the Australian Made Preference League and served as the first president of the League. The League created the Great White Train
Great White Train
The Great White Train was an effort in the 1920s by Sydney based industrialists to convince Australians to 'Buy Australian Made'.The train was created by the Australia Made Preference League with the New South Wales government contributing £5000 to the project.The movie Undercover made about the...
as a promotional tool for early Australian industries.
He travelled widely to learn business and trade information, to make business partnerships, and to get materials for his factories.
The movie Undercover was made about the early years of the Berlei company and the life of Frederick R Burley.
History of Berlei Limited and associated companies
Berlei Limited was started (in 1910) as a company called Unique Corsets in Sydney, Australia after Fred Burley discovered that the corset business was profitable and that the wholesale segment of the business could be prosecuted on an import replacementImport replacement
Import replacement refers to an urban free market economic process of entrepreneurs replacing the imports of the city with production from within the city....
basis. Fred made his first overseas business trip to the US in 1913 to learn methods and machines of the time. The brand name of Berlei was coined soon after and was registered in Australia in 1917. United Corsets became Berlei Limited in 1920.
In January 1922, the factory was moved to Berlei House
Berlei Building
The Berlei Building is an Art Deco building at 39-47 Regent Street, Sydney, Australia. It is considered an architecturally significant building, and is a key part of a proposed heritage area in and around South Regent Street....
in Regent Street.
Fred Burley's vision for the company was "To Design and Manufacture Corsets and Brassieres of such perfect Fit, Quality, and Workmanship, as will bring pleasure and profit to all concerned, while at the same time rendering such excellent service to our Clients and Consumers as will merit their permanent patronage".
Berlei's approach to marketing was professional.
Berlei (NZ) Limited
Berlei (New Zealand) Limited was started in 1923 with a staff of fifty growing to 665 employees in 1961.Bendon Berlei Limited merged with Ceramco Apparel Group Limited on 8 April 1981.
Berlei (UK) Limited
A branch of the Australian company was opened in the United Kingdom in 1930 with staff of forty. The company grew to a staff of 702 in 1961.A 'modern' factory was built in Slough in 1937, it was demolished in 1984.
Berlei (UK) was purchased from Berlei Hestia of Australia in 1982
Berlei (UK) called in a receiver in November 1985, subsequently it was purchased by Courtaulds Textiles
Courtaulds
Courtaulds was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals.-Foundation:The Company was founded by George Courtauld and his cousin Peter Taylor in 1794 as a silk, crepe and textile business at Pebmarsh in north Essex trading as George Courtauld & Co...
.
In March 2000, Courtaulds Textiles was sold to Sara Lee .
Sara Lee sold Courtaulds Textiles to Hong Kong based PD Enterprise Limited in May 2006 .