Dickies

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Dickies Logo

For the Los Angeles punk rock band, see The Dickies.

Williamson-Dickie, more commonly referred to as Dickies, is an American company headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas that specializes in the manufacturing and sales of durable work-related clothing and other accessories, including back packs, steel toe boots, and belts.

1 History of Dickies
2 Fun Facts
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History of Dickies

Through its dedication to innovation and continual customer contact, Williamson-Dickie has transformed itself from a small bib overall company to the largest workwear manufacturer in the world. Sold in every state in the U.S., Dickies now offers a broad spectrum of work garments ranging from work pants and work shirts to denim jeans and women's workwear. Since its beginnings in 1922, every piece of Dickies workwear has stood for the quality, toughness, and pride that embodies the spirit of the American worker.

C.N. Williamson and E.E. "Colonel" Dickie began their business careers in the "vehicle and harness" business in Bryan, Texas. In 1918, they made what turned out to be a momentous decision when they and a few friends established the U.S. Overall Company. Then, in 1922, C. Don Williamson joined with his father and cousin to buy 100% of the overall company on a one-third-each basis and renamed it Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company.

From its early years, Williamson-Dickie enjoyed steady growth, slowed only by the Great Depression, and during World War II, the company was sequestered to produce millions of uniforms for the nation's armed forces. In converting to civilian production after the war, C. Don Williamson began a strategy of geographical expansion and established new production facilities, warehouses, and sales territories throughout the United States. In the late 1950's, Williamson-Dickie became an international company by expanding into the European market and the Middle Eastern market - where Texas oilmen introduced Dickies to Middle Eastern oil fields.

While Williamson-Dickie began as a bib overall company, today it has grown to be the number one manufacturer of work apparel worldwide. By continually expanding and updating its selection, Williamson-Dickie now offers garments ranging from its staple work pants and work shirts to items such as women's workwear, chore coats, and denim jeans. Dickies workwear is currently sold in all 50 states and throughout the world in countries such as South Africa, Australia, Russia, Chile, Japan, Iceland, Canada, Europe and Mexico.

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[edit] Fun Facts

Henry Fonda wore Dickies bib overalls in the 1940 movie The Grapes of Wrath.

C.D. Williamson, one of the founders, authored best-selling management books in the 1950’s which were translated into five languages, with the Japanese edition selling the most. Even 40 or 50 years ago, the Japanese were seeking their best management theories.

Dickies has been represented at various times by singer Pat Boone, jockey Steve Cauthen, country singer Charlie Daniels, senior pro golfer Walt Zembriski, a former steelworker, and Robert Landers, a farmer.

The Williamson-Dickie Manufacturing Company is headquartered in the first brick school ever built in Fort Worth, Texas, in 1886. Alumni of the elementary school include astronaut Alan Bean, singer/dancer Ginger Rogers, golf legend Ben Hogan, and Mr. Williamson himself. Original woodburning stoves still grace the larger offices, and management uses the original chalkboards for strategy meetings.

Dickies workwear was popular with college students in the early 1970’s again in the early 1980’s and now with youth of all ages and lifestyles.

The Dickies logo has been prominently displayed in a number of recent movies, such as Kevin Costner’s Perfect World, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Dangerous Minds, Harrison Ford’s The Fugitive, Tom Hanks’ Forest Gump, and many more.

Along with other manufacturers, Dickies supplied uniforms to the United States Army during the World War II.

In the 1940’s Dickies changed the way side seams are sewn onto denim jeans, a method that was later incorporated by all jeans makers. Cowboys on horseback reported that their pants caught on bushes, and were a safety hazard, so Dickies changed the seam to overlap the back rather than to the front. This was probably the first focus group on the range!

The Dickies logo is actually an oxen’s yoke, not a horseshoe. A few years ago it was updated to become a more stylized horseshoe, but later was changed back to the “retro” look of the oxen’s yoke.

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