OshKosh B'Gosh
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OshKosh B'gosh is an American children's apparel company founded in
Oshkosh, Wisconsin Oshkosh is a city in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat. The city had a population of 66,816 in 2020, making it the ninth-largest city in Wisconsin. It is also adjacent to the Town of Oshkosh. History Oshkosh was ...
. It is a subsidiary of
Carter's Carter's, Inc. is a major American designer and marketer of children's apparel. It was founded in 1865 by William Carter. Carter's sells its products through its own Carter's and OshKosh B'gosh retail stores, its website, and in other retail ...
. The company was founded in 1895 as the Grove Manufacturing Company by Frank E. Grove, J. Howard Jenkins, and James Clark. Grove was soon bought out of the company and it was renamed Oshkosh Clothing and Manufacturing Co. in December 1896. OshKosh B'gosh's most notable product was hickory striped overalls. The term "B'gosh" began being used in 1911, after general manager William Pollock heard the tagline "Oshkosh B'Gosh" in a
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
routine in New York. The company formally adopted the name OshKosh B'gosh in 1937. OshKosh B'gosh has become best known for its children's clothing, especially bibbed
overalls Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers". Overalls were ...
. The original children's overalls, dating from the early 20th century, were intended to let parents dress their children like their fathers. According to the company, sales of the product increased after Miles Kimball, an Oshkosh-based
mail order Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing ...
catalog, featured a pair of the overalls in its national catalog in 1960. As a result, OshKosh began to sell their products through
department stores A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic appea ...
and expanded their children's line. Children's clothing made up just less than 50 percent of the company's sales in 1980; by 1984 that number had grown to about 80 percent. OshKosh B'Gosh's Wisconsin plant was closed in 1997. Downsizing of domestic operations and massive outsourcing and manufacturing at Mexican and Honduran subsidiaries saw the domestic manufacturing share drop below 10 percent by the year 2000. OshKosh B'Gosh was sold to Carter's, another clothing manufacturer, in 2005 for $312 million, though it still operates under the original name. Today the company sells accessories,
jeans Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and pa ...
,
pants Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and ...
,
shirt A shirt is a cloth garment for the upper body (from the neck to the waist). Originally an undergarment worn exclusively by men, it has become, in American English, a catch-all term for a broad variety of upper-body garments and undergarments. ...
s,
sweater A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jumper (British English and Australian English), ...
s,
t-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a '' crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are genera ...
s, tank tops, and its trademark
overalls Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers". Overalls were ...
. The company produces clothing for babies, infants, toddlers, kids (4–7), and youth (5–14); however, it no longer manufactures clothing in adult sizes. The company also has over 300 stores in the United States. The company is headquartered in
Phipps Tower Phipps Tower is a 20-story office tower in Buckhead, Atlanta. It is adjacent to the Phipps Plaza shopping center.Sams, Douglas.Carter's moving HQ to Phipps Tower" ''Atlanta Business Chronicle''. December 14, 2012. Updated on December 17, 2013. Retr ...
in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...
's
Buckhead Buckhead is the uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behind Downto ...
district.2014 Annual Report
" Carter's, Inc. "Phipps Tower 3438 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1800 Atlanta, Georgia 30326 (Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)"


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* {{Authority control 1895 establishments in Wisconsin 2005 mergers and acquisitions American companies established in 1895 American corporate subsidiaries Children's clothing brands Clothing brands of the United States Clothing companies established in 1895 Manufacturing companies based in Atlanta Manufacturing companies based in Wisconsin Oshkosh, Wisconsin Retail companies established in 1895