Lee Cooper is an English-American clothing and footwear manufacturing company, based in Shoreditch,[1] that specialises in denim products. As well as its own production, the company licences the sale of many Lee Cooper-branded items worldwide. Founded as M. Cooper (Overalls) Ltd, the company originally produced workwear for export from England, and began to specialise in denim jackets and trousers in the 1930s. Current products by Lee Cooper include jeans, denim t-shirts, sneakers, backpacks, and fanny packs.
History
Early years
The company that eventually became Lee Cooper was established in 1908 by Morris Cooper and a friend, Louis Maister, after they arrived in London from their hometown in Lithuania (then part of the Russian Empire), having previously spent some time in South Africa. Operating under the name M. Cooper (Overalls) Ltd, from premises on Middlesex Street (aka Petitcoat Lane) in London's East End and centre of the garment industry/rag trade, they began production of workwear, having identified a market for it in South Africa.[2]