Fox Umbrellas | Just In Time For April Showers
Fox Umbrellas Ltd was founded in 1868 and has been producing the worlds finest umbrellas for over 150 years. All Fox Umbrellas are made in England & their production process has changed very little over the years. To obtain the high quality that the brand require and their customers have come to expect, it is still necessary to rely on the skill of hand workers rather than machines and today the quality and attention to detail are still the hallmark of a Fox Umbrella. If you want the best umbrella, make sure it’s a Fox Umbrella.
Fox Umbrellas Rich History
It all started in 1868 during the reign of Queen Victoria. Mr Thomas Fox opened a shop in Fore Street in the City of London (later becoming London Wall after the bombing during World War Two when the roads were rebuilt) making and selling umbrellas. Some 12 years later he sold the shop bearing his name to Samuel Dixon, the grandfather of June Dixon. Although not confirmed, it is believed that Thomas Fox was struggling financially due to a gambling problem and owed money to Samuel Dixon, which is how he could cut a deal for the business into the Dixon family.
Up to this point the majority of umbrellas were being produced with whalebone due to large-scale production and exploitation of North Atlantic whale products at the time. However, the material wasn’t durable enough for Samuel’s liking and it wasn’t a sustainable option with Marine Mammal Exploitation laws being introduced. This is where his invention of the steel umbrella frame was introduced.
It was at this point Dixon came into contact with Mr Samuel Fox, a highly skilled blacksmith who also just happened to share the same surname as the originating founding family – they were not related. He was a master wire drawer and it was this skill in the production of fine quality wire that Fox turned to the production of Fox’s umbrella ribs.
During World War II the company manufactured flare parachutes which introduced them to the new invention nylon. The Dixon family was quick to realise the advantages of nylon instead of silk and became the first to introduce the material into umbrella covers and they were first shown to the general public in the “Britain Can Make It” exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, 1946.
Fox Umbrellas, with its history and globally renowned reputation for excellence, still exists today albeit with a change of name to Fox Umbrellas Ltd.
Fox Umbrellas, Craftsmanship
Fox Umbrellas are available in a range of materials & finishes, all manufactured with extreme attention to detail out of their UK factory in Shirley, Croydon. The woods used include Acacia Wood sourced from India & North Africa, Rosewood from Brazil & our favourite – Whangee from Phyllostachys. This material is a genus combination of forty species of grasses once mistakenly classified as a bamboo (Bambusa) from Japan, China and the Himalayas.
Fox Umbrellas provide a lifetime warranty on all their products, no matter which retailer they’re purchased from. The higher end ‘solid umbrella’ range are milled from one continuous piece of wood throughout, meaning the handle and shaft are one piece. If the bespoke wooden handles are treated accordingly then the umbrellas will last you several lifetimes.
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