From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ban-Lon (sometimes spelled BanLon or Banlon) is a trademarked, multistrand, continuous-filament synthetic yarn used in the retail clothing industry. It was created in 1954 by Joseph Bancroft & Sons Company, by applying a process for crimping yarn to nylon in order to achieve greater bulk than ordinary yarns. [1] [2] It became popular for outerwear, swimsuits, sweaters and hose. It is frequently associated with 1950s and 1960s American clothing and culture. [3] [4]

Ban-Lon came to be used as a punchline for jokes in films and on television shows in the 1990s. In an episode of NBC's Seinfeld series, Frank Costanza said that because of his " man breasts" he "wouldn't be caught dead in Ban-Lon", [5] when Sid Farkus claims he wears it and there appears to be "some jiggling". Also, in the film Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Michelle comments, "...how am I gonna impress anybody by selling Ban-Lon smocks at Bargain Mart?" [6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Joseph Bancroft & Sons Company licensing records". findingaids.hagley.org. Archival Collections at Hagley Museum and Library. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  2. ^ "BAN-LON Trademark Details". trademarks.justia.com. Justia. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
  3. ^ Rubenstein, Hal (1993-06-27). "What's Ban-Lon Got to Do With It?". The New York Times (print archive). Retrieved 2008-02-03.
  4. ^ "There's nothing better in a sweater than you and the Ban-Lon name". Life. May 16, 1960. p. 86. Retrieved 30 July 2015 – via Google books.
  5. ^ "Seinfeld: The Doorman". seinfeldscripts.com.
  6. ^ Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, 1997