| Type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer Accessories |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | 9655 International Blvd. Cincinnati, Ohio, United States |
| Key people | Doug Gernert, President & CEO |
| Products | Umbrellas, Footwear, and Cold Weather Accessories |
| Owner(s) | MidOcean Partners |
| Website | www.totes-isotoner.com |
Totes»ISOTONER (Totes) is an international umbrella, footwear, and cold weather accessory supplier. The company is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Totes is the largest supplier of umbrellas in the world with divisions in the United States, Canada, UK, and France. Totes is privately held by MidOcean Partners, a private equity firm based in New York City and London formerly part of Deutsche Bank.
The company sells products under totes, ISOTONER, and ESNY brands. Totes branded products include umbrellas, rubber footwear, ponchos, rain hats, and travel bags. Several licensed gift and boot products also carry the totes brand name. ISOTONER branded items include winter gloves, hats, and slippers. Mostly known for private label footwear, ESNY, now part of totes»ISOTONER, includes branded products such as flip-flops, sandals, and ESNY Occasions wedding footwear.
Totes, ISOTONER, and ESNY branded products are carried by most national retailers in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
The totes»ISOTONER corporation was formed in 1997 as a result of the merger of Totes corporation and ARIS»ISOTONER Incorporated. Totes was a company founded in 1923 as the SoLo Marx Company. Originally based in Oakley, Ohio, it moved to Loveland, Ohio in 1942.[1] The company changed its name to Totes, after its leading product at the time, when Chicago businessman Brad Phillips bought the company in 1961. ARIS»ISOTONER was a company founded in 1910 as the Aris Glove Company, whose name was likewise changed to include the name of its leading product, the ISOTONER nylon/spandex glove. In 1969 ARIS»ISOTONER Incorporated became a subsidiary of Consolidated Foods.
In 1969 Brad Phillips obtained the first U.S. patent for a working folding umbrella, which Totes began to sell in the United States in 1970.
In 2009, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled in favor of the company in a high profile discrimination case filed by LaNisa Allen, a former employee. Allen had been terminated for taking unauthorized breaks to pump breast milk.[2]