Lonsdale is a British sports equipment, textile and footwear brand focused on boxing and mixed martial arts established in London in 1960. Former boxer Bernard Hart started the brand as a boxing equipment company, but it eventually branched out into clothing as well. The company is named after Hugh Lowther, 5th Earl of Lonsdale, who, in 1891, set up the first organised boxing matches with gloves, following the deaths of three boxers in bare-knuckle fights. As of 2020, the Lonsdale brand is owned and operated by Sports Direct owner the Frasers Group (formerly "Sports Direct International").[1]
Products commercialised by Lonsdale include gloves, shorts, headguards, shin guards, hand wraps, jockstraps, punching bags, sneakers, and boxing boots. The clothing line is composed of t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, leggings, shorts, and underwear.
History
In 1959, former professional welterweight boxer Bernard Hart