Albion traces its origins to 1941, when it was founded as the Albion Manufacturing Company in Little Albion Street, Surry Hills (Sydney) by Alec Cohen and Frank Sinclair. Alec, a tailor skilled in crafting leather goods such as belts, wallets, and watch straps, worked alongside his wife Esther, a trained machinist. Soon after its establishment, Albion secured a major contract producing WWII medical kits for the US Government, before expanding into rainwear, including sou’westers and other rain hats.

After relocating to 61 Renwick Street in Redfern (Sydney), the company was now making a wide range of headwear, including peaked caps, baseball caps, Ivy League styles, sailors’ gob caps, pompom beanies, towelling hats, and even Davy Crockett hats with imported raccoon skin tails. The business was renamed Albion Hat and Cap Company Pty Ltd, and during this period secured the contract with the Australian Cricket Board to produce the iconic Australian baggy green caps.

Following a major fire in 1975 and ensuing financial struggles, Albion merged with a handful of affiliated companies and relocated to Regent Street, Chippendale (Sydney). Around the same time, World Series Cricket introduced protective helmets for batsmen. Seeing some players wearing unsuitable motorcycle style helmets, Tony Henson (of the equestrian company Coonan and Denlay Pty Ltd) designed a cricket-specific helmet, first worn publicly by Rod Marsh. Its popularity led to high demand, prompting Coonan and Denlay Pty Ltd to join with Albion to produce and market the new Albion C&D cricket helmet.