The Public and Private Business Model of the Utility Clothing Scheme: A View of Consensus and Control from the West Riding of Yorkshire, 1941-1945

From its implementation in 1941, through the Second World War, and to its end in 1952, the Utility Clothing Scheme altered the course of the British fashion economy. Encapsulated by a period of global conflict, the social, political, economic, and cultural contexts surrounding cc41 exemplify the economies of wartime. In investigation of the true nature of consensus and control purported by the Utility Clothing Scheme, this thesis conducts investigation of the public-private business model between government and private business. Analysis engages a study from the view of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire. Within this geographic area, distinct business and enterprise cultures and their resultant textile outputs are well recognised. As a result of these ways of working, the region held a prominent position in the Utility Clothing Scheme, from policy, through production, in products themselves, promotion of the Scheme, and also through consumer purchase.

Through reviewing archival material, founded in documentary sources and object analysis, this thesis employs sociological interpretive perspectives through a phenomenological approach applied in a mixture of methodologies. Findings demonstrate, while acknowledging the limitations of Utility, it can be asserted that the Scheme was collaborative. The active role of industry and trade was emphasised in evidence recorded in documentary sources as well as imbued within extant garments. While the Utility Clothing Scheme aided the maintenance of the sector, it also set the scene for the post-war fashion economy. Due to the public-private business model of the Scheme, standardised practices were far reaching. Ways of working were directed by the knowledge and established techniques of the manufacturers and retailers of cc41 garments. As confirmed by businesses engaged in making and selling Utility cloth and clothing in the West Riding of Yorkshire, rather than passive control, Utility was founded on reaching consensus through collaboration.