Henri Strzelecki
Henryk "Henri" Strzelecki MBE (4 October 1925 – 26 December 2012) was a Polish-born British fashion designer. Strzelecki and Angus Lloyd co-founded the British clothing label, Henri Lloyd, in Manchester, United Kingdom, in 1963.[1][2] He was known as Henri to colleagues and friends.[2]
Contents
1 Early life
2 Career
3 Awards
4 See also
5 References
Early life
Strzelecki was born in Brodnica, Poland.[2] He fled Poland with the outbreak of World War II and enlisted in the Polish 2nd Corps (later part of the British Eighth Army) in Italy.[2] Strzelecki fought with the Corps in battles throughout the war, notably participating in the liberation of the city of Bologna from the Germans.[2] He was awarded medals from both the British and Polish militaries for his service during the war.[2] Strzelecki decided to remain in the United Kingdom following the war due to the Communist takeover of Poland.[2] He began studying textiles and fibers, which would lead to a career in the clothing industry.[2]
Career
Strzelecki and Lloyd launched Henri-Lloyd Limited, an amalgamation of their two names, in 1963.[2] Their company, which specializes in outdoor gear, golf clothing, yachting and outdoor lifestyle apparel, quickly earned a reputation for introducing new technologies and man-made textiles and fiber into their clothing.[1][2] Under Strzelecki and Lloyd, Henri Lloyd became one of the first to utilize Velcro, Gore-Tex, and Bri-Nylon in their apparel.[1][2] Henri Lloyd clothing became the choice of prominent sailors, Olympians, and explorers, including Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Shirley Robertson, and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston.[2]
Henri Strzelecki died on 26 December 2012, at the age of 87.[2] He was survived by his two sons, Paul and Martin, both of whom are joint chief executives of Henri-Lloyd Limited; and his daughter, Diane. His wife, Sheila, died in 1999.[2] British Olympic sailor Ben Ainslie, who had worn Henri Lloyd during his competitions, tweeted "Great man and much loved 'RIP'", calling news of Strzelecki's death "very sad."[2]
Awards
Queen Elizabeth II awarded Strzelecki the Member of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to the clothing industry in 1985.[1][2] The Henri Lloyd company further received the Queen's Award for Export Achievement in 1986 and 1987.[2] In 1987, Strzelecki was named the Marine Personality of the Year by the Marine Trades Association.[2] The President of Poland also awarded him the Gold Cross of Merit in 1990.[2]
See also
- Strzelecki (disambiguation)
References
^ abcd "Founder of 'Henri Lloyd' clothing brand dies". thenews.pl at Polskie Radio. 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2013-01-13..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ abcdefghijklmnopqrs Edwards, Anna (2012-12-28). "'Visionary pioneer' behind Henri Lloyd brand and who was first to use Velcro in clothing dies aged 87". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2013-01-13.