VF history

Blue Bell traced its origins to Hudson Overall Company, which was formed in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1904.

Jantzen Inc. was established in 1910 as the Portland Knitting Company, a combination retail store and knitting operation.

After 12 years of slow growth, Barbey purchased his partners' interests in the company in 1911.

The following year, Barbey's son John Edward (known as J.E.) joined the firm as vice-president, and in 1913 the company's name was changed to Schuylkill Silk Mills.

VF Corp. is a company with a long history of successfully managing change. It was renamed Schuylkill Silk Manufacturing in 1914 when it expanded into silk lingerie.

Blue Bell was founded under the name of the Jellico Clothing Manufacturing Company in 1916.

1917: Through a contest, "Vanity Fair" is selected as a brand name for the line of lingerie.

The company started manufacturing undergarments in 1919.

Health-tex had been formed in 1921 as the Standard Romper Company, Inc. to produce and market children’s clothing.

Red Kap was formed in 1923 as a wholesaler of bib overalls.

J.E. Barbey was named general manager of the company in 1931 in addition to his position as vice-president.

Bassett-Walker was started in 1936 as the Bassett Knitting Corporation.

Upon his father's death in 1939, J.E. Barbey assumed the presidency of Vanity Fair, a position that he held for the next quarter century.

During that time, he led the company through turbulent times, such as the economic changes that came with World War II. In 1941, the war brought about an embargo on silk, and the company began using rayon in the production of its lingerie.

In 1943 Lee Mercantile changed its name to the H. D. Lee Company, Inc.

In 1947 the brand name Wrangler was developed for this rapidly growing product line.

In 1949 Lee introduced Lady Lee Riders, the first line of women's jeans.

These innovations changed the face of the lingerie industry. As a result, in 1950 Vanity Fair became the first lingerie manufacturer to receive the Coty Award for Design.

In 1951 Barbey, who owned nearly all of the company's common stock, decided to take the company public.

Overseas expansion began in 1958 when Vanity Fair entered into an agreement with the U.K. firm Wolsey Ltd. to make Vanity Fair-style lingerie under the brand Wolsey-Vanity Fair.

Neal Dow and Miller both served brief stints as president before Manford O. Lee began a long tenure in the position in early 1959.

Led first by S. S. (Sam) Walker and then by his son, Dudley Walker, after Sam’s death in 1960, the firm became one of the largest manufacturers of knitted outerwear in the United States.

An International Division was created in 1962 to help drive foreign expansion.

During the 1960s, the firm added coveralls to its product line. It became a division of Blue Bell, Inc. in 1964.

In 1967, as sales growth for lingerie items was beginning to top off, Vanity Fair attempted to offset the effects by expanding into the robe and loungewear market.

In 1969, the H.D. Lee Company (now Lee) was acquired, accompanied by Vanity Fair Mills changing to VF Corporation.

In 1970 some of Berkshire’s unused factory space in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, three miles west of Reading was converted into the first VF factory outlet store.

Meanwhile, in 1971, VF acquired Kay Windsor, Inc., a manufacturer of budget-priced, ready-to-wear women’s dresses and sportswear.

In 1973, Health-tex was acquired by Chesebrough-Pond’s Inc., a marketer of consumer products.

In 1977 a VF Corporation International Division was established to manage the company’s growing operations overseas.

The Rustler brand had been introduced by Blue Bell in 1979 as a basic jean to be sold through mass merchandisers.

In 1980 Lawrence R. Pugh joined VF as president and chief operating officer.

Manford Lee lost a battle with cancer in early 1982, and Pugh became CEO in addition to president.

Following that record year, Pugh handed down his role as president to Mackey J. McDonald, while still remaining at the company's helm as chairman and CEO. McDonald was a one-time president of the Wrangler division who had worked his way through the ranks since joining VF in 1983.

VF also purchased Bassett-Walker, Inc., a producer of fleece activewear based in Martinsville, Virginia, in November 1984 for $293.3 million.

Health-tex was sold in 1985 in a leveraged buyout to a group of investors who subsequently sold the firm to VF six years later.

VF also purchased Troutman Industries, Inc., a manufacturer of men’s casual slacks that was subsequently closed in 1986, and Bassett-Walker, Inc., a producer of fleece activewear.

By 1989 declining jeans sales finally caught up to VF. In the past, whenever one division’s sales had slowed, VF had managed to survive the slump by relying on strong sales in its other divisions.

In 1990 the company purchased the manufacturing operations of intimate apparel brands Vassarette and Form-O-Uth from Munsingwear, Inc. for $11.5 million and added them to the intimate apparel division.

Agins, Teri, “Bottom Line: Once-Hot Lee Jeans Lost Their Allure In a Hipper Market,” The Wall Street Journal, March 7, 1991.

With the purchases, VF's international division posted a sales increase of 52 percent for 1992.

The new initiatives helped propel revenues past $1 billion for the first time in 1993.

Completed in January 1994 were the acquisitions of Nutmeg Industries, Inc., for $352.2 million, and the H.H. Cutler Company, for $154.7 million, both of which helped VF become a leading supplier of licensed sports apparel.

Jantzen worked with Nike, Inc. to develop a new line of performance swimwear, while Nutmeg readied itself to launch some of its 1995 sports apparel under the Lee Sport name.

Garfield, Bob. "Lusty Jeans Watchers Provide Pants for Lee." Advertising Age, July 22, 1996.

Then in October 1997 the company announced that it would break with its Pennsylvania roots by moving the corporate headquarters from Wyomissing to Greensboro, North Carolina, in order to locate the corporate staff closer to where much of the firm's marketing and support units were positioned.

VF succeeded in bolstering its intimate apparel lines by acquiring Bestform Group Inc. in February 1998.

Three more workwear companies were acquired in 1999: Horace Small (public safety and postal apparel), Todd Uniform (custom-designed business uniforms), and Fibrotek (clean-room apparel).

All told, VF spent $206.5 million and assumed $107.7 million in debt on these 2000 purchases.

Restructuring charges for 2001 totaled $236.8 million, as the company aimed to cut its yearly operating costs by $115 million.

The chain reported a 24 percent drop in sales in April 2002 at stores open one year or more.

Television spots for the campaign began running in June 2003.

The campaign was successful in achieving its goals of restoring the cool image of the brand among young men and improving sales, and it won a Silver EFFIE in 2004.

"Moms Are Getting Hip and Hot: Historic Jeans Maker Is Primed; Lee Jeans Touts Its One True Fit Jean the Choice of Hot Moms." PR Newswire, February 1, 2005.

The company sold its 'Vanity Fair Intimates' lingerie business to Fruit of the Loom for US$350 million in cash on 23 January 2007.

Under the guidance of Eric Wiseman, President and CEO since 2008, VF Corp. strives to be innovative and ahead of the curve.

In 2011, VF Corporation announced its intention to purchase Timberland for $2.2 billion, a deal that would close in September that year.

On 21 December 2012, VF Imagewear was awarded a multimillion-dollar contract to provide uniforms and insignia for United States Customs and Border Protection officers.

On January 14, 2013 the company made a bid for Billabong International Ltd. together with Altamont Capital Partners.

Effective 1 January 2017 Steve Rendle took over CEO and President responsibilities.

In August 2018, it was announced that VF would be splitting into two separate companies.

In 2020, VF acquired streetwear brand Supreme for US$2.1 billion.

In 2021, VF announced a definitive agreement to sell a portion of its occupational Work segment to a subsidiary of Redwood Capital Investments, LLC. On June 28, 2021, the sale was finalized, and the 11 divested brands became part of a new standalone company, Workwear Outfitters.