Prior to this, Gordon Banks chose to wear an Admiral-manufactured shirt during the 1966 World Cup after he was impressed with a new lightweight fabric the company had designed a year prior.Buckler said a visit to the factory swayed him, she added: “Just before the World Cup they designed a really powerful and new type of fabric which was ideal for playing sports and football in and he was personally impressed with it.”He was aware of Admiral when he was playing at Leicester City, he really thought the kit was really high quality, really practical as well and cutting edge.”Local historian, Bill Boulter, said that much of the expertise and skills needed to create these products could be found in Wigston.”Right from framework knitting in the 1800s all the way through, the skills were here to make different things when men’s trousers got longer, socks got shorter.”Making underwear the skills were there, making up, overlocking, lock stitching, cutters, so the skills were there to produce the goods and introduce fashionwear into it moving forward,” he said.
The Wigston textile firm that ‘invented’ replica sports kits
