Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 February 2015
This article considers the neglected legacies of the Lancashire cotton industry and their impact on the U.K. outdoor trade. Studies of the decline of the Lancashire cotton industry after the Second World War have concentrated on the collapse of coarse cotton spinning and weaving, largely ignoring the impact of the knowledge and skills related to the finishing trades. The examination of the evolution of rainwear, coatings, and high-performance fabrics in the nineteenth century provides a backdrop to a study of the innovation process that emerged in the U.K. outdoor trade after 1960.