Kellwood Company

Kellwood Company
Private
Industry Apparel
Founded 1961
Headquarters New York, NY
Key people
 Joe Lombardi , CEO; Marc Babins, President, Western Region; Caren Belair Group President, Lifestyle & Juniors; Keith Grypp, General Counsel; Patricia Zabita, Vice President, Human Resources
Products Apparel
Owner Sun Capital Partners
Website Kellwood.com

Kellwood Company is an American apparel manufacturer. Founded in 1961, Kellwood's portfolio of Women's, Juniors and Girls apparel includes Rebecca Taylor, Parker, Devlin, Briggs NY, Democracy, Jax, Sangria, Jolt, Rewind and My Michelle, as well as licensed brand XOXO. Kellwood became an affiliated company of Sun Capital Partners, Inc. in February, 2008.

History

Formation in 1962

In 1961, fifteen independent suppliers of soft goods to Sears, Roebuck and Co. merged to form Kellwood Company. The largest of them being Ahoskie Manufacturing Co. owned and operated by George B. Smolen, a company once known as Smolen Manufacturing run by his father, Jacob Smolen. With its formation, the new company had 22 plants in 10 states and 7,000 employees. The original product lines included a wide variety of apparel, camping equipment and bedding. Taking its name from two former Sears’ executives, Charles H. Kellstadt and Robert E. Wood, The first officers included Maurice Perlstein, president and treasurer; Fred W. Wenzel, vice president; Stanley M. Guthunz, vice president; Ovide de St. Aubin, Jr., vice president; and Howard Michaelson, Jr., secretary.[1] The 15 original companies were Ahoskie Manufacturing Co., Albert of Arizona, Biltmore Manufacturing Co., Calhoun Garment Co., Garver Manufacturing Co., Greenfield Manufacturing Co., Hawthorn Company, McComb Manufacturing Co., Monticello Manufacturing Co., Ottenheimer Bros. Manufacturing Co., Oxford Manufacturing Co., Rutherford Garment Co., Siler City Manufacturing Co., Southern Foundations, and Spencer Manufacturing Co.[2]

Growth

The company experienced its greatest success under the leadership of William John McKenna, who served as COO and later CEO from 1982 to 1996. For Kellwood Company, McKenna acquired Smart Shirts, Cape Cod-Cricket Lane, American Recreation Products Ltd., Crowntuft Manufacturing Corporation, Slumberjack Inc., D Corporation Inc., California Ivy, Inc., A.J. Brandon, Inc., Parsons Place Apparel (now Sag Harbor), E Z Sportswear (now Melrose), En Chant'e Inc. (now ENC), Goodman Knitting Company, Inc., Dotti and Sierra Designs, and launched a Kathie Lee Gifford clothing label. Also under McKenna's term, Kellwood's sales surpassed $1 billion.[3]

Recent acquisitions

In February 2008, Kellwood Company became an affiliated company of Sun Capital Partners, Inc.[4][5] In January 2010, Kellwood Company acquird ISIS,[6] an award-winning outdoor company focused on women's performance and casual apparel.[7] In January 2011, Kellwood Company acquired Rebecca Taylor, a contemporary sportswear brand created by New Zealand-born fashion designer Rebecca Taylor and her business partner Elizabeth Bugdaycay.[8] In July 2011, Kellwood announced its acquisition of Zobha,[9] a high performance yoga and fitness apparel and accessories company.[10]

November 22, 2013, Kellwood and Sun Capital Partners complete the IPO of VINCE. under the ticker, VNCE on the NYSE.[11] In July 2014, Kellwood Holding, LLC announced its acquisition of Parker. Clothier Vince announced in late April 2017 that it might not remain in business over the next year, after a severe decline in revenues and stock value.[12]

Brands owned by Kellwood Company

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Kellwood Company - Company History". Fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  2. ↑ International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 8. St. James Press, 1994
  3. ↑ "Profile Kellwood". Apparelsearch.com. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  4. ↑ "McDermott - Press Releases - Kellwood Company Acquired by Sun Capital Securities Group". Mwe.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  5. ↑ "Kellwood Company: Private Company Information - BusinessWeek". Investing.businessweek.com. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  6. ↑ http://www.isisforwomen.com
  7. ↑ Business Wire (2010-01-11). "Kellwood Acquires ISIS". Business Wire. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  8. ↑ "Kellwood Acquires Rebecca Taylor - ST. LOUIS, Jan. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/". Missouri: Prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  9. ↑ "Women's Fitness Clothing - Yoga and Exercise Clothes Online - Zobha".
  10. ↑ "Kellwood Acquires Zobha - ST. LOUIS, July 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/". Missouri, California: Prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2012-02-20.
  11. ↑ http://www.nyse.com/about/listed/lcddata.html?ticker=VNCE
  12. ↑ Platt, Eric (April 28, 2017). "Clothier Vince warns of ‘substantial doubt’ that it will stay in business". Financial Times. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Parker NY".
  14. ↑ "The Devlin Collection".
  15. ↑ "The Kellwood Company".
  16. ↑ "Jax and Sangria".
  17. ↑ "Jax and Sangria".
  18. ↑ "Democracy".
  19. ↑ "Rebecca Taylor".
  20. ↑ SoJones (July 17, 2010). "Styles and Trends: XOXO". Webup Media. Retrieved December 6, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Kellwood acquires Scotch & Soda". FashionUnited. 13 July 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  22. ↑ "Kellwood Company to Acquire Phat Fashions". PR Newswire. Jan 8, 2004. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
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