Manhattan Industries

Manhattan Industries
FormerlyManhattan Shirt Company (1857-?)
IndustryGarments
Founded1857; 167 years ago (1857)
FounderLewis Levi
Defunct1986 (1986)
FateAcquired by Salant Corporation
ProductsShirts
BrandsHenry Grethel
The Vera Companies
John Henry
Perry Ellis
Lady Manhattan
Frost Bros.

Manhattan Industries was founded as the Manhattan Shirt Company by Lewis Levi in 1857. His son Abram Leeds took over and grew the company to be one of the largest shirt producers. Brands under the company included Henry Grethel, The Vera Companies, John Henry, Perry Ellis, Lady Manhattan, the Union Company specialty stores in Ohio, and Frost Bros.[1] specialty stores in Texas. [citation needed].

The company incorporated in 1912. It had garment factories employing mostly women in several states. Operations included a factory complex in Paterson, New Jersey.[2] Manhattan Shirt Company was one of the initial tenants in the Emmet Building on Madison Avenue in Manhattan.

Robert Lewis Leeds Jr. was the CEO of Manhattan Industries from 1965[3] to 1974, when he left to work with Victor Kiam at Remington. Larry Leeds, the president and chairman of the company in 1977, backed the creation of Perry Ellis International.[4][5]

In 1980, Frost Bros. was sold to Washington, D.C.-based Julius Garfinkle Company, and The Union Company to Marshall Field & Company of Chicago, which merged the Ohio stores into the Cleveland-based Halle Brothers chain.

The company was acquired by Salant Corporation, after that company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, in an unsolicited hostile takeover for $100 million in 1988, after the Manhattan board initially rejected the offer.[6][7][8][9][10]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Lockwood, Lisa. “Manhattan Industries Puts Frost Bros. up for Sale.” WWD, vol. v151, Jan. 1986. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsbig&AN=edsbig.A4099852&site=eds-live&scope=site.
  2. ^ "Document Center / Manhattan Shirt Co. / City of Paterson, New Jersey". www.patersonnj.gov.
  3. ^ Sloane, Leonard (November 21, 1971). "Manhattan Shirt's growth plan". The New Yorl Times. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  4. ^ The Death and Life of Perry Ellis. New York Magazine Aug 11, 1986
  5. ^ "Designing An Empire". The New York Times. 1982-01-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
  6. ^ Sterlacci, Francesca (2017). Historical dictionary of the fashion industry. Joanne Arbuckle (Second ed.). Landham. ISBN 978-1-4422-3909-8. OCLC 969439606.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ "Salant Seeking Apparel Maker". The New York Times. 1988-02-02. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  8. ^ "Manhattan Board Rejects Salant Bid". The New York Times. 1988-02-11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  9. ^ “Manhattan Softening to Bid by Salant.” Daily News Record, vol. 18, no. 48, Mar. 1988, p. 1. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsggo&AN=edsgcl.6441217&site=eds-live&scope=site.
  10. ^ Rutberg, Sidney. “Salant Takes Manhattan; Leeds out, DiPaolo New CEO.” Daily News Record, vol. 18, no. 55, Mar. 1988, p. 1. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsggo&AN=edsgcl.6469257&site=eds-live&scope=site.