History contributes to understanding and provides identity. It is commonly acknowledged that an understanding of the past is fundamental to an understanding of the present.
History of the Underarm Dress and Garment Shield:
Sweat shields, known among users as "dress shields" or "garment shields," were first made in 1869 by the I.B. Kleinert Rubber Co. in New York.
Kleinert's Inc company took thin panels of rubber and sandwiched them between two pieces of fabric, to be worn under the arms. Over the years, Kleinert's expanded into other garment-making, such as children's clothing and sleepwear.
Kleinert's Inc shifted much of its manufacturing to lower-wage Elba, Ala. In the year 2003, struggling with a sluggish economy and laden with debt, Kleinert's filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan. Hundreds of garment workers - including the half-dozen who sewed sweat shields - lost their jobs.
In May of 2003, Russell-Newman purchased the assets and trademarks of Kleinert's Children's Sleepwear to expand their already considerable stable of Brands and Products in Intimate Apparel. Kleinert's is one of the oldest apparel companies in the USA today. Kleinert's continues its growth as one of the industry's leading design/marketing companies in Children's Sleepwear. From the beginning, Kleinert's have maintained partnerships with major retailers in all areas of sleepwear, from newborn through girls & boys size 14. Kleinert's fashionable products are distributed in most retail channel: Department Stores, Mid-tier, Mass, and Children's Specialty stores. Kleinert's Sleepwear Division produces Children's Sleepwear Products under the BabyGro, Twigs, Caribbean Joe brands as well as multiple Private Labels for major retailers.
Two men (Mr. Brier and Mr. Connors) believed there was still life in the Under-Shield division of Kleinert's. In addition to customers on the mailing list, there were also larger buyers, such as the U.S. Military Academy, which orders cases of shields to sew into the armpits of its formal-dress gray uniforms. Theater-industry wholesalers sell shields to Broadway shows to protect costumes.
On Oct. 9, 2003, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York, as part of its management of the Kleinert's company estate, auctioned off its sweat-shield business. The Connors successfully bid $101,000 for the sweat-shield assets of Kleinert's, after Mr. Brier declined to bid more than $100,000. The Connors sent two 53-foot trucks to the Elba, Ala., factory to haul the shield-making machinery and inventory off to Florida, where they had a partner set to start production of the Under-Shields.
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