He felt confident that the brand would make his products well-known nationally. The Union Underwear Company established a second factory which began producing boxer shorts shortly before the beginning of World War II. In , when the United States joined the Allied effort, the company was contracted to produce millions of pairs of G.
For its efforts and its contributions on the home front, Union Underwear received several commendations from the efforts. During the post-war era, Goldfarb implemented numerous innovations that set Union Underwear and Fruit of the Loom apart from the competition. Prior to World War II, underwear was typically sold individually, but in the late s, Goldfarb began selling his boxer shorts as sets of three pairs in a printed cellophane bag.
This move created a trend that has become the industry standard for most basic undergarments sold in the United States. In , the company expanded to include knit underwear, and a third factory was opened in Campbellsville, Kentucky in This facility featured internal bleaching and knitting facilities for Union Underwear, which helped the company establish greater control of production.
With this factory, the company also gained the ability to manufacture a wider range of undergarments for men and boys. While Goldfarb was only a licensee of the Fruit of the Loom trademark, he was the only one to use his own funds to pay for consumer advertising.
In , his Union Underwear Company became the first undergarment company to advertise its products on network television. In addition to purchasing spots during the Today Show , the company started advertising its products on posters, banners, price tickets, signs and newspaper slicks. It also launched a cooperative advertising program to boost sales for Fruit of the Loom. During this time period, the Union Underwear Company strategically aligned itself with the mass merchandisers that were becoming increasingly popular.
The corporate structure created additional resources for Union Underwear and enabled it to expand its manufacturing operations. Northwest Industries purchased the patent owned by Union Underwear in This created new capital which allowed the company to continue to grow.
During the same year, Goldfarb stepped down as chair. The company contracted Howard Cosell, a well-known sportscaster, to appear in a series of five television commercials over the course of three years beginning in In , Union Underwear made advertising history. These characters helped make the brand a household name and propelled the Fruit of the Loom brand to 98 percent recognition.
It sold BVD as a separate line of underwear that was aimed at higher-end department stores. During the late s, Union Underwear also expanded into blank Fruit of the Loom t-shirts for the screen printing industry. During the s, there was a trend toward leveraged buyouts. Like many companies, Union Underwear was bought out during this time.
It was acquired by William F. He made changes in manufacturing, modernized production in the United States and expanded the company into Europe.
The manufacturing changes implemented throughout the s transformed Fruit of the Loom from an underwear manufacturer into an apparel company. The Fruit of the Loom label was applied to sportswear in During the s, Fruit of the Loom also made history by releasing its popular pocket t-shirt in a rainbow of stylish colors. During the s, Fruit of the Loom was impacted by widespread downsizing of the American textile industry.
Instead of focusing on briefs and boxers, which are low-profit-margin items for the business, it started focusing more on developing casualwear and activewear products. It did this by both expanding its own product lines and by purchasing other brands. It acquired Salem Sportswear in and came up with a licensing agreement that it allowed it to produce and market athleticwear under the Wilson brand. Berkshire Hathaway Corporation, which is controlled by investor Warren Buffet, purchased Fruit of the Loom from bankruptcy in Despite the numerous challenges Fruit of the Loom faced throughout the s and early s, it has remained an industry leader.
As a part of Berkshire Hathaway, the company has gained financial security and a firm foundation on which it can continue its growth.
Today, it is a leading global company that specializes in the design, manufacture and distribution of apparel for men, women and children. Fruit of the Loom takes corporate responsibility seriously and strives to provide support to the communities in which its facilities are located. It is also committed to ensuring that it operates in a socially responsible fashion to protect the rights of its employees, partners, etc.
Lastly, Fruit of the Loom is committed to taking proactive steps toward reducing its impact on the environment. My first, and most obvious problem, what the hell is he? He looks like wilted lettuce. He could be parsley. Again, more of a garnish than a fruit. What is this stuff? This company had a world of brightly colored, unusually shaped fruits to choose from and these are the four they chose? I wonder what that meeting was like? Do grapes come in different colors? But I like that.
Actually, the Fruit of the Loom people list the five components of their logo as: apple, purple grapes, green grapes, currants and leaves. The currants, however, are not featured in the commercials. Maybe because nobody says currant anymore. So, how am I going to do it? How will I get rid of the foliage and refocus Fruit of the Loom on the fruit of the loom? I think I need an ally. A celebrity to adopt my cause. And only one man can help me — Wayne Wilderson.
When I see Wayne, I think of his multi-episode arcs on Seinfeld and The Office …but you probably know him as the purple grapes. Yes, he appears to be the only actor with a non-fruit career working on these spots. Working from the inside, he can help the leaves leave.
Yes, we have a legitimate complaint. But nobody is going to listen to us moan about it. Besides, who better than the grapes to make a fine whine? I dunno. The leaves guy looks almost like the Jolly Green Giant, or perhaps Sprout.
I think they should have gone with a tomato. Who really knows? That way they appeal to a broader market than just fruit-lovers. Maybe the leaves are supposed to be from an apple tree.
Or a grape vine. He looks like Sprout, the kid who hangs around with the Jolly Green Giant. The guy with the leaves might be the currants. Just like asking a guy wearing a kilt. Angelina — Kiwi is the Ringo of the fruit world…I have no idea what that means….
I wrote five months ago…nothing like an inside blog banana joke, eh? Fruit punchy perhaps? I think you accidentally punned in my comment section…. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Google account.
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