Prices had rocketed, and the need to ration commodities led to the British Board of Trade launching a Utility Products scheme in which the government controlled the import of raw materials.
They sold them to manufacturers who made clothes, footwear and furniture that complied with austerity regulations. Prices to the public could also be kept low but a reasonable standard maintained.
The CC41 clothing label from one of the 12 items of clothing sold for £1000 at Tennants.
Each item was marked as CC41 – a distinctive logo standing for Controlled Commodity 1941. The scheme lasted until 1952.
A group lot of 12 CC41 items of costumes made in the 1940s were included in the February 13 Costume, Acessories & Textiles auction at Tennants (20% buyer’s premium) of Leyburn. Consigned by the UK trade, they sold via thesaleroom.com to a UK private buyer at £1000, five times the top estimate.
