![]() ![]() In 1999, Fruit of the Loom filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, shortly after posting a net loss of $576.2 million. Farley also announced that company earnings fell 22 percent, despite a 10 percent increase in sales. 3,200 workers, or about 12 percent of its American work force, were laid off. Operations were moved to cheaper plants abroad. In 1995, Chairman Farley announced that the company would close six plants in the Southeastern United States, and cut back operations at two others. In the 1990s, the American textile industry overall experienced widespread downsizing in the wake of North American Free Trade Agreement and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. On March 23, 1987, the company sold its subsidiary General Battery to Exide Corporation. Debt financing proved difficult to manage, however, even as dollar sales revenue quintupled. Fruit of the Loom's sales revenue rose from approximately US$500 million at the time of NWI's purchase (equivalent to $1.26 billion in 2021) to roughly US$2.5 billion nearly 15 years later (equivalent to $3.93 billion in 2021), about a three-fold increase after inflation. įarley served as president, CEO, and majority shareholder for 15 years. Farley in 1985 and renamed Farley Industries, Inc. The company was part of Northwest Industries, Inc., until NWI was purchased by William F. 20th century Įarth 20th century newspaper ad for Fruit of the Loom muslin fabric (1921) Much of its athletic outerwear was sold under the "Pro Player" label, a now defunct division. In 1871, just one year after the first trademark laws were passed by Congress, Knight received trademark number 418 for the brand "Fruit of the Loom". Knight thought the labels would be the perfect symbol for his trade name, Fruit of the Loom – an expression referring to clothes, paralleling the phrase "fruit of the womb" meaning "children that come from the woman's uterus", which can be traced back to the Bible (Psalm 127:3). The ones with the apple emblems proved most popular. ![]() Skeel's daughter painted images of apples and applied them to the bolts of cloth. Ī friend of Robert Knight named Rufus Skeel owned a small shop in Providence that sold cloth from Knight's mill. In 1856, the company changed its name to "Fruit of the Loom", while producing its first muslins. Knight Corporation" after they acquired the Pontiac Mill in Warwick, Rhode Island. The origin of the Fruit of the Loom company dates back to 1851 in Rhode Island, when textile mill owner Robert Knight and his brother Benjamin established the "B.B. ![]() In 2006, Fruit of the Loom acquired Russell Brands, LLC, a global company whose brands included Russell Athletic, Brooks Running, and Spalding, among other names in athletic wear. The company is a vertically integrated manufacturer. ![]() Contrary to popular belief, the logo does not depict and has never depicted a cornucopia - this is often cited as an example of the Mandela Effect. The company's logo comprising a red apple, leaves, green grapes, purple grapes, and white currants (or yellow gooseberries) forms a widely recognizable trademark. The company employs more than 32,400 people worldwide. Products manufactured by Fruit of the Loom itself and through its subsidiaries include clothing ( t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, sweatpants, shorts and lingerie), and sports equipment ( softballs and basketballs) manufactured and commercialized by Spalding.įruit of the Loom is one of the largest manufacturers and marketers of underwear, printable T-shirts and fleece for the activewear industry, casualwear, women's jeanswear, and childrenswear. Since 2002 it has been a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. The company's world headquarters is in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Fruit of the Loom is an American company that manufactures clothing, particularly casual wear and underwear. ![]()
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