Lichfield spans 72 years

Press, 3 June 1989, Page 8

Lichfield spans 72 years

Lichfield (N.Z.), Ltd, was founded in Christchurch in 1917 by Messrs Harry Aston and Bert Govan.

Using second-hand equipment and a staff of six skilled machinists, the company began making shirts for the Armed Forces in World War I.

In its heyday, Lichfield employed a staff of about 350 in three factories at Christchurch, Kaiapoi and Lyttelton. It also provided work for hundreds of others through contract cutting and trimming. At one stage Lichfield had 14 other factories contracted to contribute to its production. In 1958, the company began producing items of women’s wear together with its traditional shirts, pyjamas and blouses in cotton and later polyestercotton, mainly for the domestic market. Lichfield’s domestic manufacturing has been reduced during recent years to producing shirts only at its Tuam Street factory, which opened in 1932.

The company made shirts under licence to many of the top overseas designer labels.