Alan Paine was founded in 1907 in Godalming, Surrey, when William Paine set up a knitwear workshop under the name Paines of Godalming and began producing what were among the first cable-knit sweaters. His son Alan took over on William's death in 1949, renamed the company after himself, and expanded it into the United States market, with Alan's own sons Richard and Nigel later joining the business. Ownership changed hands several times through the 1990s until James Hinton, who had worked his way up from sales representative to managing director, bought the company in 2006 and returned it to family-style ownership, and it continues to make knitwear and country clothing today.