Director Gordon Merchant founded Billabong in 1973. Billabong International makes Billabong brand surf and extreme sports (skateboarding and snowboarding) apparel and accessories. Products sporting its wave logo include board shorts, swimwear, T-shirts, jackets, backpacks, watches, and footwear. Board riders and wannabes can buy the firm's gear at specialty sport stores and a few Billabong stores in more than 100 countries. The company sponsors surfers, skaters, and pro surfing tournaments in Australia, South Africa, and Spain.

Bills Khakis company, headquartered in a refurbished Rust Belt factory, makes all of its premium khaki pants, five-pocket jeans, corduroys, seersucker pants, shorts, shirts, headwear, and other apparel in the US. Products are distributed through men's and women's clothing stores, including Nordstrom and specialty shops, as well as the company's Web site. Limited edition products are issued annually while retired items are "archived." CEO Bill Thomas founded the company when he could no longer find the WWII army surplus khakis that he loved.

Blauer Manufacturing literally covers the backs of those who cover others' backs each day. The company designs and makes high-tech uniforms for men and women in the police, fire safety, EMS, and other public safety and security industries. Blauer makes rain gear and other outerwear, shirts, pants, hats, and other work clothes. Its products are manufactured at the company's handful of US-based factories and sold through specialty stores. The founding Blauer family owns and operates the company.

Founded in 1995 by Sara Tremellen, Bravissimo Ltd began in her living room and opened its first retail store four years later. Bravissimo company designs, manufactures, and distributes all types of bras, swimsuits, and other lingerie for particularly chest-endowed women. Sizes range from D-JJ. The intimates apparel company also has introduced a small line of clothing for busty women. Bravissimo sells women's lingerie in the UK through some 15 retail shops, through its Web site, and by mail order catalog.

Begun as a haberdashery in 1919, it evolved from making hats and gloves into a leading distributor of imprintable sportswear distributing more than products under 35 retail brands, including adidas Golf, Champion, and Dickies, and private labels and operates under the Broder, Alpha, and NES divisions. Its private labels include Devon & Jones, Desert Wash, Harvard Square, and others. Customers, mostly small US retailers, order merchandise through seasonal catalogs or online. Private investment firm Bain Capital has held a majority interest of the company since May 2000, when the Broder family sold the firm.

Calvin Klein, Inc. is one of the leading fashion design and marketing studios in the world. It designs and markets women¹s and men¹s designer collection apparel and a range of other products that are manufactured and marketed through an extensive network of licensing agreements and other arrangements worldwide. Brands/lifestyles include Calvin Klein Collection, ck Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Jeans and Calvin Klein Underwear. Product lines under the various Calvin Klein brands include apparel, accessories, shoes, sleepwear, hosiery, socks, swimwear, belts, eyewear, watches, jewelry, coats, suits and fragrances, as well as products for the home.Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation is one of the world's largest apparel companies. It owns and markets the Calvin Klein brand worldwide. It is the world's largest shirt and neckwear company and markets a variety of goods under its own brands, Van Heusen, Calvin Klein, IZOD, Arrow, Bass and G.H. Bass & Co., and its licensed brands, including Geoffrey Beene, Kenneth Cole New York, Kenneth Cole Reaction, BCBG Max Azria, BCBG Attitude, MICHAEL Michael Kors, Sean John, Chaps, Donald J. Trump Signature Collection, JOE Joseph Abboud, Tommy Hilfiger, and Perry Ellis Portfolio.

Capital Mercury Apparel is playing the name game. Traditionally a maker of uniforms and private-label clothing, the employee-owned company shifted its focus to concentrate on more upscale, branded merchandise. Capital Mercury, founded in 1960, makes a variety of men's and women's clothing, including shirts, sweaters, dress wear, swimwear, and sportswear. Its Bill Blass Premium, Arnold Palmer, and NYNE brands are sold in department stores, and it makes other labels for Wal-Mart stores. Agreements with the likes of designer menswear labels Robert Stock and Wilke-Rodriguez -- as well as a deal struck with Jones Apparel Group -- have brought the company upscale licensing deals.

The family of founder Hamilton Carhartt owns the firm, which was founded in 1889. The clothing manufacturer offers rugged overalls, flame-resistant work wear, outerwear, sweatshirts, sportswear, and pants favored by farmers and hard-working blue-collar types. Its clothes and footwear have shown up in such popular films as "The Perfect Storm" and "The Horse Whisperer". Most of Carhartt's products are manufactured in about 10 US factories; the remainder is produced in Mexico and Europe. Carhartt's apparel is carried by major chains (Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's) and regional retailers in North America, Europe, and Japan.

Carter's, Inc. was founded in 1865 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Carter's, Inc. designs, sources, and markets apparel for babies and young children in the United States. It primarily offers its children wear products under the Carter's, Child of Mine, Just One Year, and OshKosh brand names. The company provides a range of products, including bodysuits, pajamas, blanket sleepers, layette gowns, bibs, towels, washcloths, receiving blankets, undershirts, caps, booties, knit and woven cotton apparel, cotton long underwear, sleepwear, play clothes, hosiery, bedding, outerwear, shoes, socks, diaper bags, gift sets, toys, room decor, and hair accessories. It also offers products comprising denim apparel, coordinating garments, overalls, woven bottoms, t-shirts, fleece, and knit tops. The company markets its products to national department stores, chain and specialty stores, off-price sales channels, discount retailers, and outlet and brand retail stores. As of January 3, 2009, it operated 253 Carter's and 165 OshKosh outlet and brand retail stores.

Morris Matalon founded the company in 1965, and it continues to be a family-owned and -managed business. Celebrity International keeps kids from running around in their birthday suits. The children's apparel manufacturer operates through three main divisions: Celebrity, Lovespun (private label), and Vitamins Playwear. The company makes and markets bath, play, sleep, and swimwear, as well as bodysuits and sweaters, under licensed and proprietary brands, such as Vitamins Baby, Vitamins Kids, Sahara Club, Beatrix Potter, and Barney for Baby. Celebrity International's apparel offerings are sold through upscale retailers, including Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Bloomingdale's, and Gottschalks, as well as online.

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