Our final Bukta shirt advertising post focuses on the 1970s, with a few of the manufacturer’s iconic magazine banner style ads from the previous decade thrown in for good measure.
The 1970s was the last decade Bukta remained a sizeable player in football shirt manufacture before being slowly squeezed out of the market by their bigger rivals. West Ham were hardy Bukta perennials and their FA Cup win in 1975 was milked by the company to a similar degree as their 1964 one had. Advertising quality waned though as demonstrated with their messy and confused cartoon series which were designed to appeal to a younger audience who viewed the brand as uncool.
It’s cool enough these days having reinvented itself as a boutique, upmarket brand trading exclusively on its stylish retro heritage.
Beyond The Last Man 
My Dad was the BUKTA opposite number – He was the sales manager of UWIN Sportswear – and between the two they WERE the 60’s and 70’s in sportswear. Dad was based in LOndon – Clerkenwell Road and the main Uwin Factory was in Nottingham – and another in Bury St Edmunds Suffolk. They were part of the William Pckles Group – a really large textile group from Yorkshire. “old man” Pickles ran the whole group with a rod of iron – However when he died in the late sixties they went downhill and Bukta took their crown – but only for a short time. A new Company – ADMIRAL – came on the scene and they really shook up the whole sportswear industry. They had people from both UWIN & BUKTA with them as well – so they could not fail. The whole Pickles group folded in the late 70’s. Thanks for posting all this – brought it all back (I am nearly 70 now).
Regards to you all – Roger Sadler. (Dad was Leslie Sadler).
Thanks for sharing your story, much appreciated.
My pleasure – and found quite a bit about the Pickles group as well ; Heres a few links if you would like a look:
http://socksreunited.net/genes/trees/Pickles-Liptrot-Davies-Tyrer/ps02/ps02_348.html
(there is a little picture in the top right hand corner that is a picture of “old man” Pickles.
This link is the British Film Institute and they have a short promotional film from the Pickles Group from the fifties. Just click on the BFI logo to view it.
https://www.nwfa.mmu.ac.uk/viewVideo.php?token=7836agw44117hd89704saP5nxZYm0189b49Hq2dw7
Cheers.
Both my sisters mam and dad worked at BUKTA in CARLISLE in the 60/70’s Their name was WINTHROP sadly mam and dad and sister Carol are no longer with us. thank you for reading. i do have a pic of me in the late 70’s wearing a BUKTA t shirt.