Red Kap is an American company headquartered in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

that manufactures and distributes work-related clothing and outerwear. In 1923, Claude H. Williams, J.G. Hayes,William Wirt Harlin, Sr. and Alexander F. Harlin founded Central Overall Manufacturing, specializing in bib overalls for men and boys. In 1939, the name was changed to Red Kap, after Red Cap Smoking Tobacco. In 1947, Red Kap shifted focus from retail and mail order markets to development of clothing that could withstand industrial washing. Red Kap teamed up with a network of laundries to pick up, deliver, and supply fresh business uniforms. In the 1960s, Red Kap opened the industry's first apparel research and development laboratory, went public, and became a part of Blue Bell, Inc. In 1986, Red Kap was acquired by North Carolina-based

VF Corporation VF Corporation (formerly Vanity Fair Mills until 1969) is an American global apparel and footwear company founded in 1899 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The company's 13 brands are organized into three categories: Outdoor, Active and Wor ...

(NYSE: VFC), making it the world's largest publicly held apparel company. In the 1990s and 2000s, the brand provided apparel programs for major car companies like Ford, Honda and GM. In 2021, Red Kap was sold to Redwood Capital Investments, LLC, and later became part of the standalone company ''Workwear Outfitters''.

References

{{Reflist *Rodengen, Jeffrey L., The Legend of VF Corporation, Write Stuff Enterprises, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, 1998 *2009 Red Kap catalog *2003 80th Anniversary Red Kap calendar *VF Corp: Our brand

*2008 VF Corporation Annual Report VF Corporation Manufacturing companies based in Nashville, Tennessee

See also

References