Double Two: Exhibition celebrates Wakefield’s revolutionary clothing brand which changed men’s fashion

An exhibition showcasing a revolutionary Wakefield textile brand which changed the face of men’s fashion has opened at the city’s musuem.

The display tells the story of the pioneering work of Double Two clothing company.

The firm dates back to the second world war when Isaak Donner and Frank Myers established the Wakefield Shirt Company to produce quality men’s shirts.

Both men fled war-torn Europe in 1940 to set up shop in the city.

It became known world-wide for its attachable spare collars, the first man-made fibre garment, and the first non-iron shirt.

At its peak, Double Two employed around 1,500 in Wakefield and a further 600 around Britain.

Such was the size of the workforce, the company had its own bus service which would collect workers, many of them the wives and daughters of miners, who lived in villages across the district.

The company’s leading brand, the Double Two shirt, took its name from its unique selling point – each shirt came with replaceable collars and cuffs to extend the life of the garment.

Double Two also pioneered work with man-made fibres.

One of the exhibition’s star objects is the world’s first synthetic shirt, created in Wakefield in 1950.

It’s one of several shirts lent to the exhibition from Double Two’s archive.

Company chairman Richard Donner has also provided his personal commentary on the firm’s story.

The exhibition charts the company’s fortunes as menswear trends changed throughout the 20th Century.

It follows the evolution of materials and designs, through an array of shirts in kaleidoscopic colours and bold patterns.

Visitors can view archive advertising footage, revealing how styles and attitudes have changed over time, and even try on some of the vintage garments

The event is part of Our Year, a year-long programme of activities to celebrate the district’s heritage.

Museum curator John Whitaker said Wakefield Council and the company had worked closely on the project.

Mr Whitaker said the museums team now want to hear the stories of former Double Two workers in the hope of adding to the exhibition.

He said: “We are hoping that this is going to attract loads of worker stories that we can collect.

“It’s been great so far. We have had so much of feedback. A lot of people who used to work there have come to see it and we are having a special celebration night for them.

“We want to send the message out far and wide and get lots of people who worked there to be involved and give us all those memories.”

Mr Whitaker said the idea for the exhibition came during planning for the relocation of the museum.

The facility is to be moved from the council’s Wakefield One building, on Burton Street, to a purpose built site at the former BHS store

He added: “Textiles is a big part of Wakefield and we soon began to realise we had a good story to tell.

“The new library is still a few years away but we saw this as an opportunity to do something here and now.”

Seeing Double: The Story of Double Two Shirts is on until May 2025.