James Cropper steps into Pantherella partnership

Print Solutions Packaging Solutions

Britain’s finest sockmaker Pantherella has partnered with bespoke papermaker James Cropper to launch new packaging for its luxury sock range that speaks to its ‘Eco Luxe’ credentials and new brand identity.

Having first opened its factory doors in Leicester over 80 years ago, at the time trading as ‘Midlands Hosiery’, Pantherella now supplies more than 750,000 pairs of socks every year to leading luxury retailers and department stores around the globe.

The partnership with James Cropper was developed following Pantherella’s first rebrand since 1937. Working with Michael Johnson of Johnson Banks, Pantherella landed on a refined colour palette of black and white. This brand palette became the driver behind the beautiful packaging designed and created using paper from James Cropper’s flagship ‘Vanguard’ range and can be found across all of the sock collections.

Jamie Bartle, James Cropper’s creative design lead, said: ‘We are delighted to be working with this brilliant and much loved British brand. Pantherella shares many of our values at James Cropper including a strong commitment to our heritage, cutting edge design and sustainable innovation.

‘The new sock rider ticket showcases the capability of our flagship paper, Vanguard, and enables Pantherella to communicate how luxury can be achieved through simple and elegant design cues.’

On the new packaging, Justin Hall, chief executive of Pantherella, said: ‘As a luxury brand on stage at some of the world’s most iconic stores, our packaging needs to marry our philosophy ofProvenance, Design and Quality. James Cropper’s Vanguard range offered us the best of both worlds; premium quality paper, with the sustainability credentials our stakeholders now want to see us embracing.

‘The new packaging will play a key role in communicating the story behind our rebrand to consumers, in which we want to strike a balance between the old and the new.’

James Cropper’s Vanguard collection offers smooth uncoated papers and boards available in a wide range of pastel and intense colours.