The first sweaters (pullovers) were made for the working
classes—especially fishermen—and strictly for warmth and dryness: Wool kept a
person dry and warm, even when wet. The
various sweater weaves were created, legend has it, in order to identify a man
by the unique stitch of his sweater; more likely, women just knitted the
garments differently from one another.
The military quickly picked up on the idea: The
close-fitting jacket-like sweater was made famous by James Brudenell, the 7th
Earl of Cardigan, who led the charge of the Light Brigade. The large drop sleeve was a matter of
practicality when Crimean War officer Fitzroy James Henry Somerset, Lord
Raglan, lost his arm and needed a coat that he could easily put on and take
off.
When the knit garment entered the 20th century,
it became attractive to all classes; even Coco Chanel made it a fashion “must”
for women. It was used not only for
warmth and to accessorize, but for uniformity, too. Sweaters also became a snuggly means of
identity with the postal service, law enforcement officers, and other groups
with set garment protocol.
Gradually, as society relaxed its formal dress codes, the
sweater took on a more casual appearance, added styles and colors, and adapted
to the needs of various clientele. Such
giants as Burger King and McDonald’s purchased sweaters for their
personnel. Promotional ad companies had
their clients decked out in the jazziest of patterns. Banks, businesses, hotels, airlines, and
corporate conglomerates used the sweater as a part of the identity
package. Adding embroidery was icing on
the cake.
In the United
States , yarn suppliers—particularly with the
addition of cotton and acrylics along with wool—were burgeoning. There was an abundance of mills, dye houses,
and finishing plants where knit goods were cut and sewn. The manufacturing of sweaters had become its
own successful industry, despite the fact that sweaters were a fashion
“add-on,” and seasonal items, only.
Everyone had to have a sweater, even Mr. Rogers.
Today, for all but a very few companies, sweater
manufacturing has gone outside of the country.
Cost of materials and labor are two substantial reasons; it’s also about
a vanishing work ethic—finding trained employees. Jon Edberg, originally from Canada , is Sales Director for New York based sweater manufacturer,
Cobmex. The majority of production is
done outside of the United
States .
Jon’s group is both a stock house for basic items (black and navy seem
to be everyone’s favorites), and at the same time, it custom manufactures for
huge distributors. His is strictly a
wholesale operation.
“We feel we are not recession proof,” comments Jon, “but we
are recession resistant.” He cites
customer service in terms of “great response time” as being the top reason for
excellent results in the market, plus very competitive pricing, and keen regard
for the Cobmex acrylic blend no-pil yarns.
In business for ten years, and in the U.S. for three, Edberg feels very
confident about the company’s direction.
On the American side, Bill Levene, head of Andrew Rohan—the
latest arm of expanding Edwards Garment Co.—bespeaks the year-old merger of a
once independent sweater company that now complements the larger
corporate/casual uniform manufacturer.
“Edwards needed something to set it apart in terms of enhancing its
product line and Rohan was the perfect fit.”
80% of the Rohan sweaters are made in the U.S. , with only the most customized
being made off-shore.
For Levene, there is great pride in being an American made
company, and he attributes his 15 years in the business with Andrew Rohan to a
fine product that has adapted and expanded with both ASI ad specialties, as
well as the more conservative uniform lines.
The acrylics by far and away outmatch the cotton sweaters, with the
pullover v-neck being at the top of the totem pole. “Edwards Tuff Pil Acrylics are the driving
force behind the sweater penetration in the uniform market,” says Bill.
He also feels that it’s much easier to manufacture stateside
in terms of fast service, and easier-to-maneuver small custom quantities. “We can give you amounts of ten dozen and a
turn-around of 7-10 working days; maybe three to four weeks total by the time
we ship from the warehouse. You pick the
color, the style, and the sizes. In unisex
sweaters, Edwards/Rohan sizes range from xs-5xl.”
Erwin Schiowitz, Vice President of Sales at Philips-Van
Heusen, plays a somewhat different role in the industry as PVH is now mostly
out of the sweater market. However, it
still makes one style—a “¼ zip pullover” out of an Italian Merino wool, for
Calvin Klein. Schiowitz has been in the
business for 39 years. Respectively,
the longer each of these three men has been involved, the more change each has
seen in the sweater industry and the more different his perspective.
Schiowitz sees a reduction in the sweater business because
of so many new, different lightweight fabrications and outer garments. “You have microfibre, fleece, sweatshirts,
wind shirts, lightweight windbreakers with wicking. Sweaters aren’t the only option any more,”
Erwin opines. “The smaller quantities we
manufacture are all done overseas.”
Listening to these very successful gentlemen, it was
fascinating to realize that each has a unique approach to handling the sweater
within the framework of his corporation.
Whether inside or outside of the United States, or a bit of both,
sweaters provide a smart accent to any uniform concept, while giving its wearer
fine appearance at an affordable price, and with practical warmth, too.
