Historical information
Kathryn Knitwear, founded by Robert Blake, manufactured high quality children’s knitwear in Melbourne from the 1940s – 1980s. Robert Blake began manufacturing children’s knitwear in his bedroom in Strathmore using a hand powered machine in the late 1940s. The operation moved to Ascot Vale and Essendon, before eventually establishing a factory in Moonee Ponds in the early 1950s. The business continued to expand, necessitating a move to a new factory in Broadmeadows. By 1962, the Broadmeadows factory was producing an average of 20,000 garments per month, which increased to 24,000 by 1964.
Robert Blake’s Son, Brendan recalls that “The Kathryn brand was famous around Australia, anywhere children needed to keep warm and dress smartly. It also won a number of wool fashion awards”, including the 1969 Wool Awards, which was held by the Australian Wool Bureau and published in Women’s Weekly.
The Kathryn range was designed for durability, comfort and care, without sacrificing style. They used patterning techniques that increase stretchiness, comfort and fit, as well as integrating decorative elements into the fabric to prevent them from being bulky, uncomfortable or tight. Making longevity of style a priority, Brendan Blake remembers that “there was one particular garment that was in the range for at least thirty years”.
He also recalls “In the past, when women have found out that I was associated with Kathryn Knitwear, they would often relate to me the story of a garment they had purchased or received as a gift and, when their child had grown out of it, they would hand it on to another child. Several ladies have told me of purchasing garments for their daughters’ glory box, or saving a particular garment after their daughter had grown out of it.
Brendan Blake: “At the peak of their operation they employed approximately two hundred people, mainly women and girls. A family would often seek to send their daughter to work in this company because they knew they would be looked after and safe.
One lady wrote to me telling me that working at the Moonee Ponds Factory prior to getting married was the happiest time of her life.”
In 1963, workers at the Kathryn factory earned £13 per week, which was 8 shillings and 8 pence higher than the minimum weekly wage for female workers in the textile manufacturing industry (£12 11s 4d).
By 1970, the Kathryn Knitwear brand expanded from children’s knitwear into womenswear under the brand name ‘Lady Kathryn’, and for boys and men under ‘Robert Blake’. Continuing to diversify their distribution, they also began exporting ‘Kathryn’ garments to New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and Japan.
‘Kathryn Knitwear’ was well-known for their early adoption of modern materials and techniques that had broad appeal to their customer base. This is shown in their early use of the acrylic fibre ‘Orlon’ in the 50s and 60s and ‘Superwash’ wool in the 1970s. Many of Kathryn Knitwear’s styles, particularly those that were long running staples of the brand, were available in both wool and Orlon to suit the consumer’s preference.
Cotton is a common material for knitwear worn in the warmer months, as it is very breathable and absorbs moisture easily. While we mostly associate knitwear with keeping us warm in the cold, the market for Australian knitwear would be very limited without options to wear all year round.
The decoration on this garment was embroidered by hand by a skilled worker at the Kathryn Knitwear factory.
Far from the humble origins of one man in his bedroom with a hand-cranked machine; at its closure in 1980, the Broadmeadows factory of ‘Kathryn’ housed more than 100 machines, including 53 sewing machines and 45 knitting machines. Robert Blake was “a passionate advocate for wool and Australian Made” throughout his whole life. A strong thread that ties through the lifespan of Robert Blake and Kathryn Knitwear is a balance between adopting new innovations without sacrificing the core values of durability, comfort, care and style that had made the brand so well known. Their legacy forms an integral part of both Australian social and manufacturing history.
Physical description
White diaper set.
Short sleeved white top with two inverted box pleats along whole length, stitched at shoulder and mid chest. Embroidered in half cross stitch with two blue dogs on front. Closes in centre back with three plastic pearlescent buttons.
White baby diaper shorts with ribbing at waist and leg holes
.3 is a sample tag with manufacturing information, including price, size and colours available
.4 is a swing tag with manufacturer care instructions
Inscriptions & markings
.1 [label at back neck of top]
Kathryn Reg’d / All Cotton / 18
.3 [sample label]
[Obverse]
STYLE: 314. Diaper Sat [sic] – Emb top.
Combed Cotton.
SIZE: 18”
PRICE: 26/-
COLOR: BLUE. LEMON. WHITE.
[reverse]
KATHRYN
Garments
are
•PRE-SHRUNK
•STANDARD MEASUREMENTS
•FIT EXACTLY
•LAUNDER PERFECTLY
Designed and Manufactured by
ROBERT BLAKE, MELBOURNE
.4 [retail label]
[obverse]
Kathryn
PRE-SHRUNK KNITWEAR
Style: 314 [handwritten]
DESIGNED & MANUFACTURED BY
Robert Blake
MELBOURNE
[reverse]
IMPORTANT. Special care should be
taken with white and pastel shades.
Rinse thoroughly. Do NOT dry in
sunlight.
WASHING INSTRUCTIONS
1.Wash frequently to AVOID HEAVY SOILING
2.Wash garment BY HAND, in lukewarm Velvet
Soap suds. ON NO ACCOUNT RUB SOAP ON
GARMENT.
3.Squeeze suds gently through garment but
DO NOT RUB. Rubbing will cause garment
to thicken.
4.RINSE AT LEAST TWICE IN CLEAN
WATER TO REMOVE ALL SOAP.
5.To dry, roll garment in a towel to
remove excess moisture, turn garment
inside out and pull it lengthwise, then
safety-pin to line through shoulder
tape.
6.To keep Brushed Wool garments
like new brush frequently with
nylon brush.
