| Description | The collection contains materials relating to C&A marketing activities: advertising cuttings from magazines and newspapers, slides of fashion plates c.1920s-1940s, images of shop displays and shop fronts; colour slides, photographs and information relating to fashion campaigns, c1980s-1990s, branded products, publications for staff training and development, videos of C&A television commercials, volumes documenting the history of C&A advertising and original sketches for fashion adverts and other material relating to C&A advertising and marketing.
The London College of Communication holds in the Archives and Special Collections Centre: the slides c1980s-1990s showing images of shop displays and fashion, photographs of store fronts and fashion displays, the volumes recording the history of C&A advertising 1922-1972, a copy of 'Hereford House: A History', a C&A branded mousemat and a launch booklet.
The London College of Fashion Archives holds in their archive: slides c. 1920s-1940s showing fashion adverts, photographs of factories, a collection of publications for staff training, a guardbook containing advertisment cuttings and proofs, a collection of Magrit Seck fashion sketches, designs and layouts, videos of 1980s C&A television commercials and a selection of reproduction clothes and hats.
Note: Some of this collection is held in the LCF Archives at the London College of Fashion. |
| Individual or organisational biography | C & A was founded in 1841 by the Brenninkmeyer brothers Clemens and August in Sneek, Holland. While remaining a family owned company C&A opened autonomous national companies in other countries operating under the C&A name. The first UK store was opened at 376-384 Oxford Street, London, in 1922 and at its peak owned 113 stores and 3 distribution centres in the UK. The company ceased trading in the UK in 2001. It is still trading with 1192 stores in 19 European countries including Russia, Poland and Romania.
The C&A Marketing department absorbed the old Corporate Communications department [definitely active 1950s] from which some of the material derives.
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| Custodial History | The C&A archive material was donated in 2000.
The London College of Fashion holds a collection of original advertising posters designed by Margrit Seck, dating from the 1950s, that were designed for C&A. These are from the same collection, at the time of donation it was felt that the advertising materials should come to LCC and the fashion posters to LCF.
The reproduction clothes held at London College of Fashion were a later donation in 2001. |