The parent company was British Xylonite. A factory was opened in East Brighton, Victoria, in 1932. Items were branded as BEX and BEXYL during the 1940 – 50s, then as B.X. Plastics from 1957 – 1973. The company was taken over in 1973 by ‘F and T Industries Limited’ (Felt and Textiles of Australia Limited), with some designs sold to Nylex and produced under Nylex branding until around 1979.
A Bexyl branded xylonite spoon.
Products & Colours
Under the BEX/BEXYL branding; shaving kits, vanity sets, brushes, tea-sets, canisters, measuring cups, jewellery boxes, bowls, salad servers, toothbrushes, combs, mirrors.
BEX tea-set 1948
Chronicle (Adelaide), 6th December 1951 p.17
The Herald (Melbourne), 7th November 1951 p.11
Souvenir cruet: “Greetings from Childers”
Under the BX branding; Extensive range of kitchen, laundry, bathroom, nursery, and hard-wares produced including bowls (in wattle, chartreuse, flame and blue), laundry baskets (in red, yellow, green, blue, pink and white), baby baths, canisters (from 1963) in plain or harlequin colours), bread crocks, biscuit bins. Their brand of household plastic products ‘Capri’ lasted from 1958-1979.
A trade brochure, dated c.1970 (see https://collections.museumvictoria.com.au/items/1515715 ) shows several quite different styles of canisters available concurrently:
From newspaper adverts:
1965 Capri canisters
1967 Capri canisters
The Australian Women’s Weekly, 11th December 1963 p.71
1979
Capri range leaflet by F & T Mouldings. These came in green/brown, mustard/brown and orange/brown.
Capri bin
bread crock
Capri design branded Nylex.