Haggar Clothing

Haggar Clothing Co. is a manufacturer of men's clothing based in Dallas, Texas.

Haggar markets clothing in the United States, Canada, Mexico.

History

The Haggar Clothing Company was founded in 1926 by Lebanese immigrant Joseph Marion Haggar in a one-room office in the Santa-Fe Building in Dallas, Texas. JM Haggar personally purchased all materials, supervised production and handled all sales. The first line of pants he produced was named “Keen Built” after the popular phrase of the time meaning “superior make”. By 1929 he occupied two floors and employed 250 people. Haggar followed the motto of ”Making a good product and selling it at a fair price”, and within a few years, the Haggar Company employed 500 workers and was on track to produce 75,000 pairs of pants annually.^[2]

In 1933, Haggar changed manufacturing methods to follow Henry Ford’s Straight Line Production method of automobile manufacturing. The operators would work on a single unit rather than bundles. The single units were then passed along by conveyors to the next operator. Productivity increased and manufacturing costs decreased.

By 1938, Haggar transitioned from a local company to one with national reach. Haggar employed a nationwide sales organization and ran a national advertising campaign.

By 1940, Haggar created the first pre-cuffed pant. The resulting company growth promoted a move to a new headquarters and modern sewing production plant on Lemmon Avenue in Dallas, TX.

In 1942, JM Haggar kept his factories running 24 hours a day supplying clothing for the U.S. military. By the end of the war, more than 10 million garments were produced in Haggar factories. It was during this same time, Haggar debuted its first print ad in Life Magazine. The ad was named “The Haggar Harmony Chart,” and became a popular merchandising tool; as the ad depicted how men could maximize their wardrobe by mixing and matching shirts and jackets with multiple Haggar slacks. By the end of the decade, Haggar had become the largest producer and marketer of slacks in the world.

In 1950, Haggar became the first men's apparel brand to advertise on national television by advertising slacks on the Today Show. In 1952, Haggar introduced "Forever Prest", the forerunner of wrinkle free pants. The advertising for this pant featured Mickey Mantle and began Haggar's long running association with professional sports and athletes. This included outfitting the slacks to the U.S. Olympic teams in 1956 and again in 1960, and its current day sponsorships of the gold enshrinee jacket to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the navy enshrinee jacket to The Hockey Hall of Fame. In 1963, Haggar became an early sponsor of ABC's “Wide World of Sports”, and also conceived and sponsored a new TV show, "This Week in the NFL" in 1968.

By 1971, Haggar was the number one pant brand in the country.

In the late 70s, Haggar began manufacturing sport coats and vests and later men's “Custom Fit” suits. Haggar “Custom Fit” suits enabled men to purchase jackets and pants separately by size, thus creating a new menswear category; Suit Separates.^[2]

Haggar's innovations reached beyond apparel with their creation of the "Haggar Hanger" in 1971, which for the first time allowed retailers to sell pants on hanging fixtures instead of flat folded on tables. In the 1980s, Haggar became the first in the apparel industry to adopt EDI quick-response inventory replenishment, and to use UPC codes to ticket merchandise. In 1987, Haggar invented and received a patent for the "Size Strip" sticker, which is used by almost all pant brands today to identify size and fit on folded bottoms programs.

In the 1990s, Haggar introduced 100% cotton “wrinkle-free” pants to the market.

In the 2000s, after introducing two new features – including moisture-wicking fabrics and self-adjusting “Comfort Fit” waist pants, Haggar began a campaign to create clothing using post-consumer recycled or renewable fibers. The result was the E-CLO and LK Life Khaki range of ecofriendly apparel.

In addition to its Haggar brand, the company has developed and launched the sustainable LK Life Khaki brand. Both LK Life Khaki and Haggar's e-Clo Dress Pants use Repreve, a polyester fiber made by Unifi of recycled water bottles. Since Haggar began using Repreve in 2009, the company has documented the upcycling of over 80 million water bottles, making Haggar one of the first major men’s apparel manufactures to produce apparel designed to reduce waste and conserve natural resources.^[3]

Haggar Clothing Co. today holds the #1 market position in men's dress pants in the United States, as well as the #2 share in men's casual pants.

Haggar now produces also women collection clothing too and has over 80 store locations.

Haggar Clothing Co. also manufactures, markets and distributes Kenneth Cole brand men's and women's apparel through its subsidiary, Haggar Canada Co.^[4]

Kenneth Cole lines manufactured by Haggar Canada Co. include:

• Kenneth Cole Black Label

• Kenneth Cole New York

• Reaction Kenneth Cole

• Unlisted, a Kenneth Cole Production

Haggar and Professional Sports

In 1952, Mickey Mantle was featured in the introduction of Haggar "Forever Prest" pants.

Other Athletes and Sports Celebrities that have endorsed or appeared in Haggar advertising include:
MLB PLAYERS: Roger Maris, Phil Rizzuto, Nellie Fox, Eddie Mathews, Robin Roberts
NFL PLAYERS: Frank Gifford, Pat Summerall, Doak Walker, Otto Graham, Bobby Lane, Cloyse Box, Don Meredith, Roger Staubach, Len Dawson, Rocky Bleier, Gale Sayers
PGA GOLFERS: Arnold Palmer, Dow Finsterwald, Doug Ford, Art Wall Jr., Bobby Nichol
FORMULA 500 RACING: David Hobbs, Carl Hogan

Haggar is the...
“Official Provider of the Gold Jacket to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinees since 1978”
“Official Clothing Partner and Provider of the Hockey Hall of Fame Jacket”
“Official Provider of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Jacket”
"Official Provider of the Alumni Jacket to the NFL Alumni Association”
“Official Provider of the Alumni and Ring of Honor Jackets of the Dallas Cowboys”
“Official Provider of the Alumni Jacket to the Miami Dolphins”

Popular culture

In the Simpsons episode "The Last Temptation of Krust", Krusty the Clown makes reference to stealing a pair of Haggar slacks.

Jimmy Connors once offered a pair of Haggars as a peace offering to his disgruntled opponent, Rod Laver.^[5]

In 1971, a young John Travolta appeared in a national television commercial for Haggar Slacks.^[6]

On August 9, 1964, United States President Lyndon Johnson personally placed an order over the phone, with Joe Haggar, Jr. for six pairs of Haggar slacks from the Oval Office. Johnson stated that Haggar pants were "the best [he'd] had anywhere in the United States." The President preferred the Dallas manufacturer's slacks because they provided more room. Other manufacturer's slacks "cut him" and wearing their pants was like "riding a wire fence." Johnson went on to order a summer shirt of the same material.^[7][8]

In the second season of Frisky Dingo (2006-2008) Haggar pants as well as their 'patented suit up system' are often mentioned as being top quality.

References

External links

• Haggar Clothing Company official site