Pantherella's Leicester Heritage Panel

About Our Heritage Panel

We're lucky enough to be a part of the Leicester City Councils "Story of Leicester" project. We have worked with the Heritage Panel Project team at Leicester Museums & Galleries, to install a wonderful information panel directly outside of our Pantherella Factory, on Hallaton St in Leicester. 

The Pantherella Heritage Panel is rich with history of our three brands, Pantherella, HJ Hall and Scott-Nichol, and how they united to create The Pantherella International Group Ltd. 

 

Fine English Socks

Pantherella was founded in Leicester in 1937. The company became a key member of the thriving Midlands’ hosiery industry. The story goes that founder Louis Goldschmidt saw a gap in the market for fine gauge socks as an alternative to the bulky pairs which were more prevalent at the time. He envisioned a lightweight, seamless, fancy sock that could be better matched with smart shoes. To do this, Goldschmidt convinced local machine makers P.A. Bentley to make him a specialist sock machine that could knit thin socks.

Quality Throughout

Using the finest materials is a major factor in achieving the look and feel of Pantherella’s socks. Sourced mainly from Italy, the factory receives 30 tonnes of Egyptian and Sea Island cotton, merino, silk, and cashmere yarn. In their early days they used the classic Bentley Komet Knitting machines. The quality is also in the finishing. The fastest and easiest way to bring a sock together is the Rosso method, which joins the ends together with a single seam. The method Pantherella uses is linking. This is where the end loops are stitched together with a single thread, creating a seamless toe.

Firm in their Beliefs

By the time his competitors started copying Goldschmidt’s innovative design plans, he had already set the industry standard, leaving the competition far behind. Pantherella is now a group of three brands - Pantherella, H J Hall, and Scott- Nichol, which together form The Pantherella International Group Ltd. Pantherella has held firm in their belief in quality, standing out from the crowd who use cheaper materials. The family-owned company continues to make fine English socks behind the blue door of their Leicester factory. Pantherella’s philosophy of “Provenance, Design & Quality” still rings true today.

Leicester’s heritage information panels are part of the city council’s Story of Leicester project, that brings to life the city’s colourful 2,000-year history by remembering the people, places and events of Leicester’s recent and distant past. The colourful information panels give residents and visitors to the city the chance to find out more about Leicester’s extensive history from Roman times, through the Middle Ages, the city’s manufacturing, engineering and transport history, the Victorian era and beyond.

For more information on this wonderful project, visit: https://storyofleicester.info/heritage-panel-project/