British knitwear specialist Alan Paine was founded in 1907 and they can pride themselves of having developed the first ever cable knit sweater. This season Alan Paine celebrates its unrivalled heritage launching the limited edition Free Foresters Cricket Club sweater.
The association between Free Foresters and Alan Paine began in the 1920’s, a time when there was a surge in cultural popularity of traditional British sports such as cricket, tennis and rowing. At this time Alan Paine produced the club colour knitwear for many sporting clubs, including the Free Foresters.
In recent years a beautiful archive book was unearthed which contains meticulously recorded colour ways of Alan Paine clients during the 1920’s. Hand dyed swatches of colours with customer’s details written in fountain penned script combine to create in precise historical snapshot. Included in this extraordinary document are the colours of the Free Foresters; crimson, green and white.
Free Foresters are unique in that it is a ‘wandering or nomadic’ cricket club, having no home ground. The team’s motto also reflects its unusual ethos; ‘United though untied’ meaning that members are permitted to play against the club. Over the years there have been nearly 100 Free Forester members on the English cricket team, including 33 Team Captains.
The Alan Paine limited edition Free Foresters cricket sweater is made of 100% cotton and is available at a retail price of £100.