page_title: Lonsdale (clothing)
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Lonsdale (clothing) / History
caption_attribution_description: English: red star leipzig player
context_page_description: Lonsdale is an English sports equipment, textlie and footwear brand focused on boxing and mixed martial arts established in London in 1960. Former boxer Bernard Hart started the brand as a boxing equipment company, but it eventually branched out into clothing as well. The company is named after Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, who in 1891 set up the first organised boxing matches with gloves, following the deaths of three boxers in bare-knuckle fights. The Lonsdale brand is currently owned and operated by the Frasers Group.
  Products commercialised by Lonsdale include gloves, shorts, headguards, shin guards, hand wraps, jockstraps, punching bags, sneakers and boxing boots. The clothing line is composed of t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, leggins, shorts, and underwear.
context_section_description: In 1959, former professional welterweight boxer Bernard Hart was granted permission to use the Lonsdale name by James Lowther, 7th Earl of Lonsdale. In 1960, business commenced for the brand at 21 Beak St., Soho, London.
  Lonsdale became ingrained into 1960s popular fashion due to its location near Carnaby Street. Celebrities who publicly wore the brand included Paul McCartney, Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn and Tony Curtis. In 1979, mod revival icon Paul Weller visited the store and bought Lonsdale T-shirts to wear on a tour of Japan, which led to an increase in sales for the brand in both the UK and Asia.
  In the 1990s, Lonsdale expanded to new markets in Europe, and by 1998, the brand had expanded to Australia.  As of 2002, it became an acquisition of Sports Direct.
  Lonsdale reacted to this trend by sponsoring anti-racist events and campaigns, and by refusing to deliver products to known neo-Nazi retailers. In 2003, the "Lonsdale Loves All Colours" campaign was launched, emphasising non-white fashion models, along with increased support for initiatives that combat racism.
  During the 2005–06 English football season, Lonsdale was the kit provider for Blackburn Rovers Football Club.  In 2006, Lonsdale stores opened in Singapore, Taiwan and other parts of Asia. As of 2007, a division of Lonsdale produces football kits for Brentford, Swindon Town and Millwall.
  On 25 March 2010, Lonsdale celebrated the 50th anniversary of the brand by holding the Lonsdale Challenge at the Liberty Boxing Gym in Nottingham, England. The event featured Lonsdale-sponsored boxers Carl Froch, James DeGale and Tony Jeffries in various boxing-related challenges.
  Mixed martial arts promotion BAMMA announced during mid July 2012, that they had renewed their partnership deal with Lonsdale as they move to Channel 5 in September.
caption: Lonsdale sponsorship on the jerseys of German football club Roter Stern Leipzig, March 2014
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