 | This article contains promotional content. Please help improve it by removing promotional language and inappropriate external links, and by adding encyclopedic text written from a neutral point of view. (January 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Gold Toe Brands, Inc., is the third-largest United States–based producer of socks.
History
Gold Toe was founded by Fritz S. Stern, Fritz Bendheim, and J. Kuglemanin in Bally, Pennsylvania on September 18, 1919, under the name Great American Knitting Mills. In 1923, Rudolf Abrams, a cousin of Fritz Stern's wife, joined the company.
During the Great Depression, Gold Toe began manufacturing men's socks from high quality Irish linen, making their product resistant to holes and fraying. In the 1930s, the company added gold acetate thread to the toes of its socks to make them visually distinctive on store shelves.
The manufacturer changed its name to Gold Toe Brands Inc. in 2002.
Gold Toe merged with competitor Moretz in 2006 to form Gold Toe Moretz. Gildan Activewear acquired the company in 2011. The following year, they partnered with the advertising agency, DeVito/Verdi, to “revitalize and contemporize” the brand.
Operations
The company's headquarters are located in Burlington, North Carolina, with executive headquarters in New York City. Gold Toe Brands, Inc. has shifted much of its manufacturing to China, particularly the Zhejiang province.
Vice-president Trish McHale intended to create affordable socks primarily for men. Although its primary market is men's dress socks, Gold Toe Brands has expanded into other areas of the sock market. In 1983, it added a line of women's socks, and in 1986, it began producing boys' socks. In 1992, the brand started making women's tights.
Gold Toe produces 140 million pairs of socks annually and is on the American Podiatric Medical Association's approved list of brands for foot health.
See also
References
- ^ Katya Andresen, Kate (FRW) Roberts (2006). Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes. John Wiley and Sons. pp. 86–87. ISBN 978-0-7879-8148-8. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
- ^ Goldtoe Brands Inc. "Goldtoe's History". Goldtoe Brands Inc. Archived from the original on 2009-04-20. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
- 75th anniversary Collection of Memories, Great American Knitting Mills
- ^ Ted C. Fishman (2005). China, Inc: how the rise of the next superpower challenges America and the world. Simon and Schuster. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-0-7432-5752-7. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
- Givhan, Robin (2006-07-24). "Blue-Chip Socks: Haute Hose by Vivek Nagrani, Just the Thing to Cool Your Heels". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
- Harvard Medical School (2005). Foot Care Basics: Preventing and Treating Common Foot Conditions (Second ed.). Harvard Health Publications. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-933225-76-0. Retrieved 2009-04-28.