Morada
Encyclopedia
Morada Limited is a textile
company
based in Altham, Lancashire
. Morada specializes in curtains.
, Whitechapel
, London
, EC1 in 1876. At this time Hanbury Street was the epicentre of the Jewish community in East London
. From the 1891 Census it is evident that the multiplicity of trades in this street was remarkable, they included; a licensed victualler
, a fishmonger
, a cap
maker, a tailor
and tailoress, a china & glass
dealer, a market
porter
, a van guard, a mantle maker, a purveyor of horse
flesh, a moulder
in clay, a rough packing case maker, a silversmith
, a carman
, a lighterman, an upholsterer, a bonnet
maker, a milk dairyman, a cheese
monger, a newsagents, a shoe maker, a waterproof garment maker, a cabinet maker, a coffin
maker, a cigar
maker, a stick
maker, a furrier and a comb
maker. However to "Londoners", Hanbury Street was the 'home' of the tailoring industry. Fittingly, the five Cohen brothers sold tailor's trimmings; cotton
, needles
, bias
binding and all other requisites of the tailoring trade including lining
s.
edge and became aware, in 1894, that Charles Cross
, Edward Bevan
and Clayton Beadle had patented their "artificial silk" which they named "Viscose
" in the UK and "Rayon
" in the US, and sold under the trade name "Dacron". Although natural polymer
s have been with around since time began, synthetic polymers are more recent and owe their origin to Alexander Parkes
and his exhibits at the International Exhibition in London in 1862. The most basic building block of a polymer is a monomer
, which, when combined with oxygen
, nitrogen
, chlorine
, or fluoride
, becomes a "polymers". The most important polymer, for fabric construction is Polyethylene
terephthalate, more commonly known as "polyester
". The bright vibrant synthetic fabrics made from these synthetic "building blocks" exhibit a silk "handle"; and all the comfort properties of natural fibres, imitating silk
, wool
and linen
.
B. Cohen & Co. pioneered the use of these synthetic fabrics as lining materials and took the market by storm as expensive silk was substituted for these new fabrics. By the 1950s, B. Cohen & Co. along with Collins and Cawthorn, were the foremost merchant
converters in Europe
, with ranges of lining fabrics woven and dyed to their own specification. The major supplier of loom state fabric to both companies was Carrington & Dewhurst of Eccleston
near Chorley
; who were also innovators in the production of cellulosic and synthetic fibres. These complex fabrics were dyed by Thomas Robinson
, a traditional northern dye house owned by B. Cohen & Co at Ramsbottom
, Lancashire
. Thomas Robinson with the help of ICI had developed nylon
and polyester and then futuristic spun fabric blends of viscose and acetate
. With their fine silk handle and vibrant colour these fabrics proved to be ideal for lining garments. It is estimated that around 1,700,000,000 garments were made with linings sold under the brand name Morada.
As B. Cohen & Co. grew, it moved premises, first to Berwick Street and then to Upper James Street
; by the 1940s the company concentrated almost exclusively on the sale of "synthetics" for use as linings for ladies and gentlemen's apparel.
(MO), Rayon (RA), and Dacron (DA); the first fabrics with which the Cohen brothers built their brand - MORADA.
In the 1980s, Sir David Alliance appeared on the scene with his company fledging company Vantona. Vantona made an audacious bid for a company eight times its size; Carrington Viyella, who by then were manufactures of garments, home furnishings, carpet
s and fabric
s. Morada, Dorma, Van Heusen and Viyella were the cluster of famous brands owned by the group. After a rapid take over, Morada became part of a new company - Vantona Viyella. A few years later the Carrington element became the filament
weaving division with the lining sales division known as Carrington Morada. Some years later Vantona Viyella merged with Coats Patons, and in so doing Morada became part of one of the most prominent English textile companies ever formed - Coats Viyella.
from EPIC Private Equity to resetablish the Morada name as fabric brand.
Today, Morada has three divisions; Morada, Morada Contract and Morada Manufacturing.
After 137 years, Morada is still true to the tenet
s of the founders, aiming to provide innovative, cutting edge solution
s for fabrics and textiles at value for money prices.
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
company
Company
A company is a form of business organization. It is an association or collection of individual real persons and/or other companies, who each provide some form of capital. This group has a common purpose or focus and an aim of gaining profits. This collection, group or association of persons can be...
based in Altham, Lancashire
Altham, Lancashire
Altham is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Hyndburn, in Lancashire, England. It is the only parish in the borough – the remainder is an unparished area. The village is west of Burnley, north of Accrington, and north-east of Clayton-le-Moors, and is on the A678 Blackburn to Burnley...
. Morada specializes in curtains.
1876 to 1950s
The founding company of B. Cohen & Co., was established in Hanbury StreetHanbury Street
Hanbury Street is a street in Spitalfields, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. It runs east from Commercial Street to a cul-de-sac at the east end. It was laid out in the seventeenth century, and was originally known as Browne's Lane after the original developer...
, Whitechapel
Whitechapel
Whitechapel is a built-up inner city district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, London, England. It is located east of Charing Cross and roughly bounded by the Bishopsgate thoroughfare on the west, Fashion Street on the north, Brady Street and Cavell Street on the east and The Highway on the...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, EC1 in 1876. At this time Hanbury Street was the epicentre of the Jewish community in East London
East End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
. From the 1891 Census it is evident that the multiplicity of trades in this street was remarkable, they included; a licensed victualler
Victualler
A victualler is traditionally a person who sells food or other provisions, similar to a grocer, and in particular British usage can be used to mean a person licensed to sell alcoholic beverages....
, a fishmonger
Fishmonger
A fishmonger is someone who sells fish and seafood...
, a cap
Cap
A cap is a form of headgear. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head and have no brim or only a visor. They are typically designed for warmth and, when including a visor, blocking sunlight from the eyes...
maker, a tailor
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
and tailoress, a china & glass
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
dealer, a market
Market
A market is one of many varieties of systems, institutions, procedures, social relations and infrastructures whereby parties engage in exchange. While parties may exchange goods and services by barter, most markets rely on sellers offering their goods or services in exchange for money from buyers...
porter
Porter (carrier)
A porter, also called a bearer, is a person who shifts objects for others.-Historical meaning:Human adaptability and flexibility early led to the use of humans for shifting gear...
, a van guard, a mantle maker, a purveyor of horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
flesh, a moulder
Moulder
A wood moulder is a machine used to shape wood with profiled cutters. The profiled cutters are also known as knives, and blades. Tooling refers to cutters, knives, blades including planer blades, and cutterheads. Most moulders require the blades to be secured into a cutterhead that mounts on the...
in clay, a rough packing case maker, a silversmith
Silversmith
A silversmith is a craftsperson who makes objects from silver or gold. The terms 'silversmith' and 'goldsmith' are not synonyms as the techniques, training, history, and guilds are or were largely the same but the end product varies greatly as does the scale of objects created.Silversmithing is the...
, a carman
Carman
In Irish mythology, Carman or Carmun was a warrior-woman and sorceress from Athens who tried to invade Ireland in the days of the Tuatha Dé Danann, along with her three sons, Dub , Dother and Dian...
, a lighterman, an upholsterer, a bonnet
Bonnet (headgear)
Bonnets are a variety of headgear for both sexes, which have in common only the absence of a brim. Bonnet derives from the same word in French, where it originally indicated a type of material...
maker, a milk dairyman, a cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
monger, a newsagents, a shoe maker, a waterproof garment maker, a cabinet maker, a coffin
Coffin
A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...
maker, a cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
maker, a stick
Stick
-Music:* The Sticks, a British band* Sticks , by Led Zeppelin* Chapman Stick, an electric musical instrument in the guitar family* Clapstick, a type of percussion mallet traditionally accompanying the didgeridoo...
maker, a furrier and a comb
Comb
A comb is a toothed device used in hair care for straightening and cleaning hair or other fibres. Combs are among the oldest tools found by archaeologists...
maker. However to "Londoners", Hanbury Street was the 'home' of the tailoring industry. Fittingly, the five Cohen brothers sold tailor's trimmings; cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, needles
Sewing needle
A sewing needle is a long slender tool with a pointed tip. The first needles were made of bone or wood; modern ones are manufactured from high carbon steel wire, nickel- or 18K gold plated for corrosion resistance. The highest quality embroidery needles are plated with two-thirds platinum and...
, bias
Bias
Bias is an inclination to present or hold a partial perspective at the expense of alternatives. Bias can come in many forms.-In judgement and decision making:...
binding and all other requisites of the tailoring trade including lining
Lining
Lining may refer to:* Lining , the process of inserting an inner layer of fabric, fur, or other material* Brake lining, consumable surfaces in brake systems* Product lining, offering for sale several related products...
s.
Monomers, Rayon, Dacron and Artificial Silk
The Cohen brothers were looking for a commercialCommerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
edge and became aware, in 1894, that Charles Cross
Charles Frederick Cross
Charles Frederick Cross FRS was a British chemist.Born in Brentford, Middlesex, his father was a schoolmaster turned soap manufacturer...
, Edward Bevan
Edward John Bevan
Edward John Bevan was an English chemist. He became a leader in the affairs of the Society of Public Analysts and editor of The Analyst....
and Clayton Beadle had patented their "artificial silk" which they named "Viscose
Viscose
Viscose is a viscous organic liquid used to make rayon and cellophane. Viscose is becoming synonymous with rayon, a soft material commonly used in shirts, shorts, coats, jackets, and other outer wear.-Manufacture:...
" in the UK and "Rayon
Rayon
Rayon is a manufactured regenerated cellulose fiber. Because it is produced from naturally occurring polymers, it is neither a truly synthetic fiber nor a natural fiber; it is a semi-synthetic or artificial fiber. Rayon is known by the names viscose rayon and art silk in the textile industry...
" in the US, and sold under the trade name "Dacron". Although natural polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
s have been with around since time began, synthetic polymers are more recent and owe their origin to Alexander Parkes
Alexander Parkes
Alexander Parkes was a metallurgist and inventor from Birmingham, England. He created Parkesine, the first man-made plastic.-Biography:...
and his exhibits at the International Exhibition in London in 1862. The most basic building block of a polymer is a monomer
Monomer
A monomer is an atom or a small molecule that may bind chemically to other monomers to form a polymer; the term "monomeric protein" may also be used to describe one of the proteins making up a multiprotein complex...
, which, when combined with oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
, nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
, chlorine
Chlorine
Chlorine is the chemical element with atomic number 17 and symbol Cl. It is the second lightest halogen, found in the periodic table in group 17. The element forms diatomic molecules under standard conditions, called dichlorine...
, or fluoride
Fluoride
Fluoride is the anion F−, the reduced form of fluorine when as an ion and when bonded to another element. Both organofluorine compounds and inorganic fluorine containing compounds are called fluorides. Fluoride, like other halides, is a monovalent ion . Its compounds often have properties that are...
, becomes a "polymers". The most important polymer, for fabric construction is Polyethylene
Polyethylene
Polyethylene or polythene is the most widely used plastic, with an annual production of approximately 80 million metric tons...
terephthalate, more commonly known as "polyester
Polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
". The bright vibrant synthetic fabrics made from these synthetic "building blocks" exhibit a silk "handle"; and all the comfort properties of natural fibres, imitating silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
, wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....
.
B. Cohen & Co. pioneered the use of these synthetic fabrics as lining materials and took the market by storm as expensive silk was substituted for these new fabrics. By the 1950s, B. Cohen & Co. along with Collins and Cawthorn, were the foremost merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
converters in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, with ranges of lining fabrics woven and dyed to their own specification. The major supplier of loom state fabric to both companies was Carrington & Dewhurst of Eccleston
Eccleston
-People:*Christopher Eccleston , English actor*Jennifer Eccleston , American television journalist*John Eccleston, British puppeteer*Joseph Eccleston , American planter, soldier, and politician...
near Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
; who were also innovators in the production of cellulosic and synthetic fibres. These complex fabrics were dyed by Thomas Robinson
Thomas Robinson
Thomas Robinson may refer to:*Thomas Robinson , English composer and music teacher*Thomas Robinson, 1st Baron Grantham , English diplomatist and politician...
, a traditional northern dye house owned by B. Cohen & Co at Ramsbottom
Ramsbottom
Ramsbottom is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on the course of the River Irwell, in the West Pennine Moors. Historically within Lancashire, it is located north-northwest of Bury, and north-northwest of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. Thomas Robinson with the help of ICI had developed nylon
Nylon
Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, first produced on February 28, 1935, by Wallace Carothers at DuPont's research facility at the DuPont Experimental Station...
and polyester and then futuristic spun fabric blends of viscose and acetate
Acetate
An acetate is a derivative of acetic acid. This term includes salts and esters, as well as the anion found in solution. Most of the approximately 5 billion kilograms of acetic acid produced annually in industry are used in the production of acetates, which usually take the form of polymers. In...
. With their fine silk handle and vibrant colour these fabrics proved to be ideal for lining garments. It is estimated that around 1,700,000,000 garments were made with linings sold under the brand name Morada.
As B. Cohen & Co. grew, it moved premises, first to Berwick Street and then to Upper James Street
James Street
- People :* James Street , American football quarterback* James H. Street , American journalist, Baptist minister, and novelist* James Street , English cricketer and umpire- Places :...
; by the 1940s the company concentrated almost exclusively on the sale of "synthetics" for use as linings for ladies and gentlemen's apparel.
Morada
There are many allegorical and spurious stories surrounding the origin of the name "Morada"; some are quite humorous. However given the dominance of the Morada brand in the use of synthetic fabrics, the name is believed to be derived from MonomerMonomer
A monomer is an atom or a small molecule that may bind chemically to other monomers to form a polymer; the term "monomeric protein" may also be used to describe one of the proteins making up a multiprotein complex...
(MO), Rayon (RA), and Dacron (DA); the first fabrics with which the Cohen brothers built their brand - MORADA.
1960s to 1980s
By the 1960s Morada was a "banker brand" and the Cohen Brothers operated from prestigious offices in Poultney Street, London, W1. With no obvious succession the brothers sold the business to Carrington & Dewhurst. There followed a rapid period of merger and acquisition. At this time ICI was a major shareholder in Carrington & Dewhurst and also Viyella International. The two companies were later merged and Morada became a division of Carrington Viyella.In the 1980s, Sir David Alliance appeared on the scene with his company fledging company Vantona. Vantona made an audacious bid for a company eight times its size; Carrington Viyella, who by then were manufactures of garments, home furnishings, carpet
Carpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene,nylon or polyester and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their...
s and fabric
Fabric
A fabric is a textile material, short for "textile fabric".Fabric may also refer to:*Fabric , the spatial and geometric configuration of elements within a rock*Fabric , a nightclub in London, England...
s. Morada, Dorma, Van Heusen and Viyella were the cluster of famous brands owned by the group. After a rapid take over, Morada became part of a new company - Vantona Viyella. A few years later the Carrington element became the filament
Fiber
Fiber is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread.They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissues together....
weaving division with the lining sales division known as Carrington Morada. Some years later Vantona Viyella merged with Coats Patons, and in so doing Morada became part of one of the most prominent English textile companies ever formed - Coats Viyella.
1990s to the present day
As globalisation spread and English textiles companies came under pressure to compete to survive, Coats Viyella divested certain operations. In the late 1990s the present management bought the company and in 2005 secured fundingFunding
Funding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money , or other values such as effort or time , for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions...
from EPIC Private Equity to resetablish the Morada name as fabric brand.
Today, Morada has three divisions; Morada, Morada Contract and Morada Manufacturing.
After 137 years, Morada is still true to the tenet
Tenet
A tenet is one of the principles on which a belief or theory is based. Tenet may also refer to:* Tenet , a Canadian heavy metal band* Tenet Healthcare, a hospital holding company* Tenet people, an ethnic group in Sudan...
s of the founders, aiming to provide innovative, cutting edge solution
Solution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
s for fabrics and textiles at value for money prices.