OshKosh B'gosh
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Clothing |
| Founded | 1895 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, US |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | Phipps Tower, , US |
Number of locations | 345 (January 2026)[2] |
| Products | Apparel |
| Parent | Carter's (since 2005) |
| Website | www |
OshKosh B'gosh is an American children's apparel company founded in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is a subsidiary of Carter's.
OshKosh B'gosh has become best known for its children's clothing, especially bibbed overalls. 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 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 and expanded their children's line.
History
The company was founded in 1895 as the Grove Manufacturing Company by Frank E. Grove, J. Howard Jenkins, and James Clark.[1] Grove was soon bought out of the company and it was renamed Oshkosh Clothing and Manufacturing Co. in December 1896.[1] OshKosh B'gosh's most notable product was hickory striped overalls.[3] The term B'gosh began being used in 1911, after general manager William Pollock heard the tagline "Oshkosh B'Gosh" in a vaudeville routine in New York.[4] The company formally adopted the name OshKosh B'gosh in 1937.[4]
Children's clothing made up less than 50 percent of the company's sales in 1980; by 1984 that number had grown to about 80 percent.[5]
OshKosh B'gosh's Wisconsin plant closed in 1997.[6] 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.[7]
In 2005,[8] OshKosh B'gosh was sold to Carter's, another clothing manufacturer, $312 million.[9] However, it still operates under the original name.
Today the company sells accessories, jeans, pants, shirts, sweaters, t-shirts, tank tops, and its trademark overalls. The company produces clothing for infants and children aged 1–14; however, it no longer manufactures clothing in adult sizes. As of January 2026, the company operates over 340 stores in the US.[2]
Headquarters
The company is headquartered in Phipps Tower in Atlanta's Buckhead district.[10]
References
- ^ a b c "Oshkosh B'Gosh Factory". Discover Historic Oshkosh. September 17, 2015. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ a b "OshKosh B'gosh Locations: All Locations". oshkosh.com. OshKosh B'gosh. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
- ^ "History of OshKosh B'Gosh, Inc". FundingUniverse.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ a b "OshKosh B'Gosh Sewing Machine". wisconsinhistory.org. Wisconsin Historical Society. October 19, 2012. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ Greenhouse, Steven (February 22, 1986). "Growing Pains for Oshkosh". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 30, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
- ^ Pollak, Lisa. "Overall, they're not made here anymore Oshkosh: Displaced workers say 'Made in America' is a memory at OshKosh B'Gosh as the clothier's wares are increasingly made overseas". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
- ^ "OshKosh B'Gosh Inc". Answers.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
- ^ "Our Brands". corporate.carters.com. Carter's, Inc. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
OshKosh B'gosh has been built to last since 1895, and joined the Carter's family in 2005.
- ^ "Carter's to buy OshKosh B'Gosh for $312 million". milwaukee.bizjournals.com. May 10, 2005. Archived from the original on December 19, 2009. Retrieved November 12, 2009.
- ^ "2014 Annual Report". Carter's, Inc. Retrieved January 8, 2026 – via corporate-ir.net.
Phipps Tower 3438 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1800 Atlanta, Georgia 30326
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