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Simpsons Clothing

Notes

Simpsons Clothing was one of the most successful men’s clothing companies of the 20th Century. It was based in Hackney between 1928 and 1981 and produced the DAKs brand of menswear. The clothing consisted of smart, 'tailored' garments such as trousers and jackets.

Simeon Simpson, founder of the company, began tailoring in the 1890s in Houndsditch. By the 1920s his business had grown so much that he was running several workshops around the fringes of the City of London. Simeon decided to bring all his workshops together in Hackney. Hackney was chosen for its close transport links to the City.

A new factory was built in 1929 at 92-100 Stoke Newington Road. It was designed to allow as much daylight into the work areas as possible. Simeon Simpson believed that this would be good for workers as well as the quality of clothes they produced. The factory in style of the 'Industrial Art Deco' and was expanded in 1933. After this, the factory covered almost 200,000 square feet and employed over 3,000 people, making Simpsons one of Hackney’s largest employers.

At Simpsons, production was broken down into areas. The second floor of the original building was the cutting room, the first floor was used for vest and trouser making. The offices, storeroom and the despatch area were all located on the ground floor. At the height of production in the 1930s, the factory produced around 11,000 garments a day.

During the 1960s and 1970s, demand for the Simpsons style of clothing dwindled, and the factory closed in 1981.
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