History of the Towel

About Victoria London

Victoria London is a leading manufacturer and distributor of luxury towels, our towels can be found in retail establishments across the UK and Europe.

At a recent Victoria London meeting, a new member of staff was interested to know where the towel originated. Where did the towel begin and how has it transformed itself over the years. Below is a brief history of the towel – this marvellous invention!


 

Natural hot spring baths

The towel is said to have originated from Bursa in Turkey back in the 17th Century. Bursa was home to a number of natural hot spring baths which included healing ingredients such as natural sulfur and iron. The baths were popular amongst the wealthy and their popularity gradually spread across the East.

The towel then known as The Pestamel (traditional Turkish Towel) was a thin woven piece of cloth. It was large enough to wrap around the body and was both absorbent and stayed light when wet.

As the Ottomon Empire grew so did the towel and its uses, and by the 18th century this plain woven piece of cotton had grown both in size and thickness (pile). As you can understand this piece of cloth was still only really available to the wealthy, it wasn’t until the 19th Century with the introduction of the cotton trade as well as industrialisation that the towel became more accessible.

As manufacturing processes developed the cotton ‘terry-towelling’ was born and gradually became more affordable and sold in shops. Designers began to work with the weavers which resulted in wonderful elaborate designs, bringing style and sometimes elegance to this once plain woven piece of cotton.


 

We love luxury towels

The towel has come a long way since its humble beginnings and is now a necessity in western homes. Nowadays there is a towel available to suit everyone’s requirements and to match their budgets. At Victoria London we stock a great selection of luxury textiles many of which can be found in;

Health Spa’s
Sports Clubs
Hotel chains
Boutique Hotels
High-end retail stores
Independent retailers


 

Our factory in Bangladesh

As a leading manufacturer of towels and owning a factory in Bangladesh we have the infrastructure to produce towels and textiles to suit everyone’s budgets. Our sister company award winning Clearance Textiles stock affordable towels they distribute to; discount stores, independent retailers, wholesalers and market traders.


 

Luxury towels make great gifts

If you every get stuck on buying a gift for a loved one, friend or a member of family, just remember that luxury towels make great presents.

The towels has a firm place on wedding lists, children leaving home and let’s not forget that new-born baby – all of whom need that extra bit of luxury.


 

How Victoria London can help you

If you are looking for luxury textile items and would like to order in large quantities then please do get in touch with us on 01634 719984

Discount stores are taking over the high street

Discount stores

We read with great interest in a recent BBC article that discount stores are expanding much faster than their bigger rivals.  Called the “The unstoppable rise of the discounters” the BBC article highlights the clever growth of the discount sector, which has grown 48% over the past five years and could be said that discount stores are taking over the high street.

Being a leading buyer of discontinued and over stock textiles lines from around the world, this came as no surprise to the team at Clearance Textiles. We are pleased to say that for over 10 years we have kept the high street discount stores filled with our growing range of discount textiles.

Our sales team has seen a steady increase in sales over the past few years, proving that the discount store is definitely here to stay. Everyone loves a bargain and we are pleased that the consumer is now aware that shopping for everyday necessaries such as tea towels, oven gloves, dish cloths and hand towels doesn’t have to break the weekly household budget.

Affordable Recycled Towels

Another Clearance Textile product that is creating excitement within the discount sector is our recycled towel.  This environmentally friendly towel is made from the waste that occurs in the manufacturing process of towel production.  We combine all the yarns together and with the help of our clever weaving process are able to turn the yarns into beautifully bespoke towels.  The end result is a recycled towel that looks good, is affordable and doesn’t have to cost the earth!

Clearance Textiles

We have over 15 years experience in supplying sectors as diverse as;  large multiple store groups, small independent stores, online portals, market traders  and discount stores.  Keep up-to-date with all our special offers on the news page (link) or call us now on 01634 719984  – we look forward to hearing from you and finding out how we can meet your wholesale needs.

Apprenticeship Schemes at Elsatex

Apprenticeship Scheme at Elsatex

As a company that advocates apprenticeship schemes in their business, Elsatex is delighted to announce that apprentice Abbie Thornton has completed her first year!

Being an award winning company we are committed to working with young talent and take great pleasure in helping our apprentices develop their skills and knowledge within a business environment. We have also seen that their work really does have an impact in the everyday life of the company.

Abbie joined Clearance Textiles nine months ago as a trainee Marketing Manager. She had previously spent two years at MidKent College completing her Extended Business Diploma and finished with an impressive two A’s and one A*. Abbie says she is having a great time with us and thinks the most rewarding part of her apprenticeship is the responsibilities we have given her.

Being part of a team

All of our apprentices are part of the team and we encourage them to use their own initiative and to share their knowledge, experiences and passions with us. Abbie is a keen designer and was delighted to be given the task to create a logo and packaging design for a new Clearance Textile product range.

The job has now been completed and the new product, which includes Abbie’s logo and packaging design, is now available to buy in shops. This is a prime example of how empowering young talent and letting them complete tasks independently can be rewarding to both the employee as well as the employer.

She describes her colleagues as generous and willing to do anything to help. This just goes to show that a good working environment will help to nurture apprentices. Clearance Textiles certainly deliver and also enjoy keeping on-going relationships with previous apprentices.

In her spare time Abbie enjoys meeting up with her friends and going for long walks with her beloved dog, Tilly. We look forward to seeing Abbie continue to shine and develop her skills within the company.

If you are looking for an apprenticeship and would like to work for Clearance Textiles, which is part of the Elsatex Group, please do let us know.