The Lord Mayor of Wakefield visits Double Two
Image Left to Right: Nigel Grizzard, Lord Mayor Tracey Austin & Richard Donner
As we approach Holocaust Memorial Day 2022, the Lord Mayor of Wakefield, Tracey Austin, visited our office and factory site in Wakefield. This visit comes as part of a project with the 6Million+ Trust, who lead creative arts project to express and share stories of the Holocaust.
This year, they have created a film to link the five West Yorkshire Districts, which will be shown across the County in remembrance of the Holocaust. Double Two have been selected as the company to represent Wakefield because of their heritage.
In 1939, the founder of Double Two, Isaak Donner, moved to the UK as a Jewish Refugee. Having been forced to leave his mens shirt business behind in Vienna, he came to set up Double Two in Wakefield, where he, along with Rex Whinfield, eventually created the first man-made fibre shirt using polyester.
6Million+ Project with Double Two
6Million+ work to bring awareness of the events and horrors of the Holocaust, as well as genocides and injust persectuions occuring around the world today using creative art projects. They commemorate the Jews and other minorities killed in the Holocaust by designing and organising temporary art installations and events with local communities.
This year, 6Million+ worked with Double Two in their production of a short film for this years Holocaust Memorial Day Event (HMD). The film aims to connect the districts of West Yorkshire in their shared historical ties to the Holocaust.
You can support 6million+ in their aim to challenge all types of discrimination and work towards a kinder future by donating or buying a special 6Million+ button badge. The button badge is part of the Every Button Counts campaign, an EU funded project bringing four countries together and representing those who lost their lives during the Holocaust.
Holocaust Memorial Day
Holocaust Memorial Day is observed each year on 27th January in the UK, as well as in many other countries, as a day of rememberance for those who lost their lives during the Holocaust. It marks the anniversary of the day that the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated on 27th January 1945.
The Holocaust was an organised genocide attempt on people of the Jewish faith, and those who did not fit the extreme ideals and laws of the Nazi regime. Holocaust Memorial Day is a national event intended to educate people about the horror and atrocities of genocides, and ensure the preservation of memoral sites in remembrance of those who lost their lives.
Image: Isaak Donner
The Founder of Double Two
Isaak Donner was an entrepreneur from a young age. In school, he would borrow cones of sewing thread, roll them onto individual cotton spools and then sell them to girls at a higher price to make a profit. He would then use those profits to pay for the borrowed cone at the end of the day. This was Isaak’s first connection with the textile industry.
In the mid 1920’s, Isaak recognised an opportunity to improve upon the soft collared shirts that were the new in-fashion from America. He noticed that due to the soft properties of the collar, the men's collars wore out far too quickly. This led him to set up a business with his brother in order to provide a solution. He designed and patented a second collar that could replace the worn out one, and therefore provide a second life for the collared shirt.
Twice a Refugee
In 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria, and shortly after, Isaak and his family were forced to leave as Jewish refugees. They boarded a train to Switzerland, where they stayed for 6 months until Isaak gained employment in the UK as an Export Sales Manager. He then moved to the UK in 1939 to start his new role, but as the Second World War was just beginning, the job offer fell through.
Isaak was allowed to stay on the condition that he employed people in the UK to work. So with his second-collar patent to hand and help from the UK Government, he worked to set up a business. He was offered work in either Wakefield or Weymouth, and so, on the flip of a coin, Isaak and his family boarded a train to Wakefield.
In June 1940, the Wakefield Shirt Group was formed, and with it, the Double Two brand. Double Two was given its name due to the replacement collar and cuffs, which therefore gave mens shirts a second life.
Image: Double Two Terylene Ad in the Daily Mirror, December 1960
The First Man-made Fibre Shirt
Fast forward 10 years, post-war Britain is facing a cotton fabric shortage, making it difficult to keep producing our classic 100% pure-cotton shirts. With the help of Dr Rex Winfield, a chemist working with Imperial Chemical Industries, (ICI), the first man-made fibre shirt was invented using Terylene polyester in 1957.
The polyester shirt was revolutionary and came with many modern features, such as quick to dry, easy to wash, non-iron, and it lasted a very long time without the need for a second collar.
However, this new invention of a polyester, easy care shirt brought problems. They had created a product that outlasted 3 natural fibre shirts and no longer needed to be replaced as frequently, so they now needed to provide a new reason to create return purchases on mens shirts.
Fortunately, with the rise of fashion in the 1960’s, and with some help from Isaak’s son, Richard, the business found success by selling more designs than their traditional plain shirt. Double Two began producing patterned shirts in new colours and designs in the form of check, striped and floral.
Image: White Classic Easy Care Long Sleeve Shirt (left), Eucalyptus Green Check Long Sleeve Casual Oxford Shirt (right)
Double Two Today
Today Double Two are a proud British heritage brand, selling many varied designs of stylish mens shirts, knitwear, and casualwear. From luxury formal shirts, to quality casual shirts, we offer the best prices for the best quality to ensure you’re always looking sharp and stylish.
