Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Pop Culture»Fads
    Fads Fashion 3 Mins Read

    Filofax

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Although synonymous with all those 1980s cliches of power-dressing, double-breasted suits and big hair, the Filofax has actually been around since 1921, and its template can be traced back a decade further.

    In Philadelphia, a company called Lefax had been supplying ring-bound organisers since 1910 to power plant engineers who needed to keep their paperwork safely in order. London stationer Norman & Hill began importing and selling them by mail order to high-ranking army officers, doctors, lawyers and the clergy.

    It was a temporary secretary at the company called Grace Scurr who suggested they produce their own paper organiser and even came up with the name (from “file of facts”). Scurr eventually became Norman & Hill’s chairman, a position she held until 1955.

    filofax

    The Filofax remained something of a niche proposition, finding a loyal if dwindling market of well-heeled professionals out in the shires.

    It wasn’t until 1976 – and the arrival of publishing executive David Collischon – that the brand began to enjoy a new lease of life. Collischon had set up a business out of his garage in suburban Loughton called Pocketfax, originally intended to sell Filofaxes and the accompanying inserts as part of a wider offer.

    When the chance arose to buy out Norman & Hill’s principal shareholders, he duly took it, taking over the company overnight in 1982 after he bought the remaining shares, belonging to Scurr. Collischon soon renamed the company after its most famous product: Filofax.

    Designer Ian Logan was commissioned to freshen up the look and feel of the product, softening some of the edges and making it a little less austere, with a broader colour range and various add-ons, including a growing assortment of inserts.

    The 1980s breed of financiers loved the idea of a sleepy heritage brand reconfigured for the post-Big Bang globally-connected Square Mile and a bulging Filofax became a conspicuous signifier of networking bona fides – and you could always stick a New York subway map, golf scorecards or wine tasting notes in amongst your diary pages for added worldly kudos.

    Collischon’s decision to chase the top end of the market and try to position Filofax as a luxury item soon backfired and, coupled with a growing image problem that suggested the product was more elitist lifestyle adjunct than functional business tool – the company was close to collapse by decade’s end.

    By the mid-1990s however, things had picked up considerably, with profits in the millions.

    And then disaster struck, in the form of pocket computers. The Psion Organiser had been around in one guise or another for most of the 1980s but had remained firmly out of reach for regular everyday use. In the mid-1990s, though, a more accessible device hit the market, quickly joined by the first Palm Pilot and, in 1999, the BlackBerry.

    Electronic organisers – and, later in the following decade, smartphones – steadily killed off the Filofax and, while various attempts have been made to kickstart a revival, it is yet to be rediscovered by a new generation of users.

    In 2001 the Letts Filofax Group was formed after Charles Letts and Company Limited acquired the Filofax Group. In 2012 the company was acquired by HSGP Investments.

    In 2014, Filofax Ltd and Charles Letts & Co Ltd become one entity under a new company name, FLB Group Ltd.

    Related Posts

    • K-Tel
      K-Tel
      K-Tel were famous for their TV commercials pitching their mass-market compilation LPs and tapes and their household 'gadgets'. Everything they…
    • Yo-Yo
      Yo-Yo
      A playground favourite for millions of schoolchildren the world over, the Yo-Yo is actually, according to some historians, one of…
    • Quadraphonic Sound
      Quadraphonic Sound
      Most of those responsible for the European development of the Quadraphonic stereo system would probably rather forget that they were…
    • Dogs Playing Poker
      Dogs Playing Poker
      The series of oil-on-canvas paintings universally known as “Dogs Playing Poker” was created by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (1844 - 1934),…
    • Beatle Boots
      Beatle Boots
      The traditional Chelsea Boot was adapted for The Beatles by the London footwear company Anello & Davide in 1961 when…
    • Rudi Gernreich
      Rudi Gernreich
      Like his art world contemporary Andy Warhol, Rudi Gernreich was a modern visionary and shrewd press manipulator. He guaranteed himself…
    • Sea Monkeys
      Sea Monkeys
      There have been plenty of toys that allowed children to put their natural creative energies to work. Lego, Erector sets, and countless…
    • Talkboy
      Talkboy
      "The Talkboy" was originally a cassette recorder and non-working prop designed and built for the 1992 blockbuster Christmas film Home…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleRotadraw
    Next Article My Little Pony

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Woman In Red, The (1984)
      This comedy remake of the 1977 French farce Pardon Mon […]
    • Pinwheel
      1 9 7 9 – 1 9 8 9 (USA) The US children’s TV […]
    • Tequila Sunrise (1988)
      Robert Towne’s under-rated and authentically sweaty love […]
    • Spy Trap
      1 9 7 2 – 1 9 7 5 (UK) 61 x 25/50 minute episodes This BBC […]
    • Bodyline
      1 9 8 4 (Australia) 7 x 60 minute episodes This seven-part […]
    • Otis Redding
      Hailing from Macon, Georgia, Otis Redding began his singing […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html

    More sad news 😢
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    'Laverne & Shirley' star Cindy Williams dead at 75 | CNN

    edition.cnn.com

    Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a...
    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    5 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    6 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.