PVH Corporation History

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The Company Description of Its Time

On June 23, 2011 Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation changed its name to PVH Corporation, formally renamed PVH Corp. after receiving overwhelming stockholder support. The separate Phillips-Van Heusen page in this letter is the short renaming record under the old name; this page is the company's full profile, and its centre of gravity is the long history the historical record lays out in dated chapters. Here is a brief history about PVH, the historical record begins, adding honestly that they have achieved much more than is listed here, but this should at least be a good start for your research. That modesty is justified by the cast: within a few paragraphs, a Maine shoemaker, a couple sewing shirts for coal miners, a London tailor to a king and a Dutch collar inventor have all entered the same family tree.

The Collar, the Weejun and the Shirt Century

In the early 1900s, Vin Draddy starts a men's apparel business and needs a strong name; vacationing in London, he encounters an elegant tailor shop, Jack IZOD's - Jack, a well-respected tailor who made custom shirts for King George VI and other royalty, is ready to retire and accepts Vin's offer to purchase the rights to his distinctive name. In Holland, John M. Van Heusen creates a comfortable, self-folding collar, travels to the United States to find a partner, meets Isaac Phillips, Moses' son, and together they form the Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation. In 1919 a patent is granted for the collar, and in 1921 the revolutionary new collar is introduced to the public with immediate and overwhelming success, the event this company's original name commemorated for ninety years.

The growth chapter, 1921 to 1970, accumulates firsts and famous feet. In 1922 production is arranged in England; in 1929 the Collarite Shirt, the first collar-attached shirt, is introduced. In 1927, Charles Lindbergh wears Bass Aviation Moccasins on his historic flight from New York to Paris, and three years later Bobby Jones wins his golfing Grand Slam wearing Bass Sportocasins. In 1936, Bass finds a unique shoe in Norway and, after obtaining permission to interpret it with a Bass look, the Weejun is born. Van Heusen collar-attached shirts are advertised across the United States in 1939; in the fifties, celebrities including Ronald Reagan, Charlton Heston and Mickey Rooney join the marketing effort, legendary tennis player Rene Lacoste partners in marketing a new pique knit as IZOD's popularity soars, and in 1968 Bass enters retail by acquiring Burgess Shoe Stores, renamed Bass Factory Outlets.

Dress Shirt Leadership, Calvin Klein and the 2014 Summary

The modern chapter opens with dress shirts. In 1982, PVH launches Geoffrey Beene shirts, today filed as the number one selling designer dress shirt in America; in 1987 it acquires G.H. Bass and Co.; in 1991 Van Heusen becomes the number one selling dress shirt brand in America; in 1995 it acquires IZOD; in 1998 it introduces DKNY dress shirts under license; and in 2000 the Van Heusen brand becomes one worldwide as the company acquires the worldwide rights to the name, adds Kenneth Cole under license, and acquires the license for Arrow. In 2002, PVH begins a new era with the acquisition of the Calvin Klein company, and in 2004, filed as one of the strongest years the company had experienced, Calvin Klein sportswear launched in a combined 400 better department stores, the dress shirt group reached fourteen brands, its largest roster ever, including MICHAEL Michael Kors, BCBG Max Azria, Sean John and Chaps, and the worldwide rights to the Arrow brand were purchased outright.

Two dated summaries close the profile, and both are kept with their years attached. The June 2011 summary files PVH Corp. as one of the world's largest apparel companies, owning and marketing the iconic Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger brands worldwide, the world's largest shirt and neckwear company, marketing goods under its own brands Van Heusen, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, IZOD, ARROW, Bass and G.H. Bass and Co., and licensed brands including Geoffrey Beene, Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, MICHAEL Michael Kors, Sean John, Chaps, JOE Joseph Abboud and DKNY. The 2014 summary records a diversified global company with over $8 billion in 2014 revenues, grown from its 1881 roots through strategic acquisitions across wholesale, retail, e-commerce and licensing, with significant operations in North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. A July 2015 note, that PVH decided to phase out the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection, is kept in this page's links exactly as recorded.

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