Pelaco

Pelaco was an Australian clothing manufacturer based in Melbourne. Pelaco is best known for its men's shirts. The Pelaco sign over its former factory in Richmond is a Heritage Victoria listed landmark.

WWW Official Site

Foundation

The Pelaco brand was founded in the 1910s by James Kerr Pearson and James Lindsay Gordon Law. The company name came from the first two letters of its owners' surnames.

Products

From its inception, Pelaco's main product has been men's shirts.

Industrial relations

The Pelaco company under Lindsay Law has been described as innovative in its approach to industrial relations.
Saturday morning work was discontinued in its predecessor business in 1908. The company management appointed an "industrial relations officer" to mediate with employees in 1928. Pelaco was one of the first companies in Australia to employ an industrial psychologist. Lindsay Law came into conflict with unions and arbitration courts over the issues of piecework wages and child labour.

Business head office and factories

In 1922, the company moved its head office and factory from elsewhere in Richmond to Goodwood Street, Richmond. The "Pelaco" neon sign over the Goodwood Street factory was erected in 1939. At the company's peak in the 1950s, it had ten factories across Australia.

Cultural references

Australian football player Royce Hart was recruited to Richmond Football Club from Tasmanian team Clarence Football Club with the promise of "a new suit and six shirts". The "six shirts" were "half a dozen Pelacos".