Cotton Traders UK in 1987. The pair of former athletes had long been teammates, playing together on multiple rugby squads, before going into business together. The two friends named and started the company in a small back office of a railway station. After growing organically through local advertising, Cotton Traders UK launched their website in 2002 and became a key part of pop culture in 2009 when “Invictus” was released, which featured actors wearing Cotton Traders shirts. Since then, the company has become one of the most popular clothing lines in the UK.