The changes made by L'Oréal USA since its 1953 founding have been anything but cosmetic. The US arm of L'Oréal (the world's #1 cosmetics firm), L'Oréal USA boasts a host of big-name brands, including Maybelline and Redken. It also owns salon product makers Matrix and Kérastase, as well as consumer-focused SoftSheen/Carson and perfume brands Ralph Lauren and Gloria Vanderbilt. The unit's upscale Lancôme (makeup, skin care) and Biotherm (skin care) lines are sold nationwide in department stores. Its parent bought Dallas-based SkinCeuticals. Laurent Attal took over as president and CEO in April 2006, when former president and CEO Jean-Paul Agon became CEO of L'Oréal SA.

L'Occitane (pronounced "lox-ee-tahn") makes body and skin care, men's grooming items, hair care, and home fragrances using natural ingredients from the Provence area. It owns Olivier & Co., an olive oil producer and retailer, and operates subsidiaries in the US, Hong Kong, and the UK. Products, most of which have Braille labels, include anti-aging creams, shea butter lip balms and hand creams, orange nutmeg incense sticks, Lavender Harvest fragrance, and the L'Oranger line. Clarins holds a 23% stake in the firm, which gets its name from the ancient province that once stretched across the south of France.

The office products maker was founded in 1952 by its namesake, Peter Pepper. Peter Pepper Products company designs and manufactures office furniture and accessories, including clocks, coat racks, magazine holders, tables, benches, waste baskets -- even planters. Peter Pepper also imports items from Canada, Europe, and Asia. Products are sold through corporate and government contract sales, as well as through retailers (which have included Boise Office Solutions, Ivan Allen Workspace, and Herman Miller). The company operates two facilities in Southern California, runs a showroom in Chicago, and has factory representatives across the US.

Celebrating more than 40 years in business, Mary Kay is in the pink as one of the top direct sellers of beauty products in the US. It offers more than 200 products in six categories: body care, color cosmetics, facial skin care, fragrance, nail care, and sun protection. More than 1.8 million independent sales consultants demonstrate Mary Kay products in the US and some 35 other countries. Consultants vie for awards each year, ranging from jewelry to the company's trademark pink Cadillac (first awarded in 1969). The company also founded the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation in 1996 to fund cancer research and domestic violence programs. The family of founder Mary Kay Ash owns most of the company.

Founded by Sean "Diddy" Combs in 1998, Sean John Clothing designs, produces, and distributes high-end urban fashion and accessories targeted to trendy males and females. The design firm, which is owned by Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment Group, opened several stores in recent years and formed a joint venture, Outspoke LLC, with Zac Posen. Sean John Clothing has signed a numerous licensing agreements for apparel related to its clothing, a Sean John fragrance with Estee Lauder, and Ciroc Vodka through a partnership with Diageo.

Sports Chick Brands Limited clads the scads of cheeky female football (i.e., soccer) fans. Founded in 2002, the company designs and manufactures apparel for sportive-type women, including technical apparel popular with serious athletes. Sports Chick's apparel includes casual T-shirts (imprinted with sassy football-oriented slogans), shorts, tank tops, and track pants for a variety of sports, as well as running, fitness, and gym use. The company distributes its products in the UK through specialty sports shops and in Football Club shops such as Premiership and Championship clubs. Sports Chick distributes in the US through soccer and sports stores. The company also sells through the soccer.com Web site.

Converse has rebounded under NIKE as fashionable footwear and all-around cruiser for those off the court, too. Converse has sold some 750 million pairs of its classic Chuck Taylor All Star canvas basketball shoes, appealing to everyone from school kids to clothing designers. It licenses its name to sports apparel makers. Converse makes products under the names One Star and Jack Purcell that it sells through retailers such as Target and licensees in some 160 countries and its more than 40 stores. Converse operates as a separate unit from its parent's competing sports brands, reining in the kitsch value of Converse's vintage Chuck Taylor brand.

With a rich heritage, and origins dating back to 1795, the Dixon Ticonderoga Company throughout history have made our mark through quality, integrity,respect and perseverance. Today the Dixon Ticonderoga continues to make Dixon mark manufacturing and marketing writing instruments, art supplies and tools for self expression, making each of our products “The Best of its Kind”. Dixon Ticonderoga Company has become more than a writing and art products company. Dixon Ticonderoga is a company that empowers people to take conscious and subliminal thoughts, facts, ideas and dreams, and preserve them using tools that are simply extensions of themselves.

Astor & Black Custom Clothiers, as the company's Web site proclaims, pretty much says it all. Astor & Black Custom company's handmade, custom-tailored suits, pants, shirts, and jackets have graced the likes of Alonzo Mourning, Brady Quinn, Jeff Faine, and other pro athletes. A&B's sales agents visit client's homes and offices for measurements and fittings, with clothing priced up to 80% less than competitors. A&B has representatives in about 25 cities, mostly in the US, with orders going to more than 100 tailors overseas. CEO David Schottenstein, who formed the company in 2004, hails from a family that has made a fortune with discount-oriented retail holdings, such as Value City Department Stores, DSW, and Filene's Basement.

American Apparel, Inc. company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. American Apparel, Inc. engages in the manufacture, distribution, and retail of fashion basic apparel for women, men, children, and pets. The company primarily offers t-shirts, denim, sweaters, jackets, and other casual wear. As of May 31, 2009, it operated 270 retail stores in 19 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the People's Republic of China. The company also operates a wholesale business that supplies t-shirts and other casual wear to distributors and screen printers. In addition, it has an online retail e-commerce Web site americanapparel.net.

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