Austin Reed is straying from its bookish look. It makes and sells primarily menswear under the Austin Reed and AR Red names. Men's products include tailored suits and formalwear, but also jackets, slacks, casual wear, jeans, eyewear, footwear, fragrances, and accessories such as belts, cufflinks, socks, underwear, and leather goods. It makes women's products, such as upscale 1950's-inspired shirts, blouses, and matching separates, under the Austin Reed and CC labels. Austin Reed is sold through some 70 namesake shops, in major department stores, and through its own Web site. CC is sold through about 65 branded stores, department stores, and on its own Web site.

GoldToeMoretz boasts licensing agreements with the likes of Kathy Ireland, New Balance, and Under Armour and ships some 360 million pairs of socks each year. Moretz, founded in 1946, was acquired by buyout firm The Blackstone Group in late 2006 and merged with 90-year-old Gold Toe to form GoldToeMoretz. The deal, valued at $400 million, created a pair of the US's largest maker of socks. GoldToeMoretz wants to sock it to the competition. It's a sockwear maker for sporting goods stores and retailers, such as Gap, Target, and Old Navy, and private labeler for companies including Cherokee, Faded Glory, and Pro Spirit. It peddles the PowerSox brand -- a heavy hitter in performance socks -- as well as Gold Toe.

Suntory International Corp. company is part of the giant Japanese trading company, Suntory Holdings Limited. It imports many Suntory products into the US, including wine, beer, happoshu (a low-malt quasi-beer drink), and distilled spirits, as well as bottled water. Located in New York City, Suntory International also serves as the holding company for its parent's 50-50 Blavod Extreme Spirits brand joint venture with Diamante Spirits. In addition, Suntory International operates Anjou International Company's subsidiary, Hinckley & Schmitt Bottled Water Group in Chicago.

Catherine Hinds Company (formerly Custom Esthetics) offers equipment and skin care products to professional estheticians (salon and spa owners and managers). Its offerings include skin care, waxing, and makeup supplies, as well as equipment, furniture, and general supplies (makeup brushes and applicators, candles, soaps, gloves). Products include its Classics TX line of cleansers, toners, moisturizers, and scrubs, as well as the American Skin Care System line of gloves and blankets for keeping spa patrons snuggled and warm. Catherine Hinds started the company in 1979; her daughter, CEO and president An G. Hinds, purchased it in 2001 and renamed it Catherine Hinds Company in 2007.

Kracie Holdings (formerly Kanebo Trinity Holdings) is a veteran firm that knows diversification and doesn't mind changing its moniker. The company makes toiletries, pharmaceuticals, and food. Kracie's products vary from Prostyle hair styling product to Frisk chewing gum to Coccoapo A, an over-the-counter drug for the treatment of constipation and obesity. Kracie, formed in 1887, operates in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Kracie sold its cosmetics unit to household products maker Kao Corp. in 2006. Kanebo changed its name to Kracie Holdings in July 2007.

Lather Inc. Company makes and markets hair care, skin care, and body products for women, men, and babies. It also sells aromatherapy items and accessories such as pumice stones. Lather sells products through its handful of namesake shops in Arizona, New York, and California; national and international upscale department stores (Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's); QVC; and a catalog. It also wholesales its products and provides them to hotels and resorts. The company is expanding into other states, such as Georgia, by way of a new niche -- airport stores.

J. Choo, which does business as Jimmy Choo, gained its original notoriety from celebs strutting in the strappy soles down Oscar-night carpets and across Fashion Week runways. Still, Choo caters to self-proclaimed divas. The firm designs and manufactures shoes, distributing them through about 30 of its own standalone stores and some 150 high-end retail outlets. During the company's first buyout in 2001, Mr. Choo lost his toehold as chief designer. TowerBrook Capital Partners and Jimmy Choo management bought out Lion Capital's lion's share of Jimmy Choo for more than $364 million in February 2007.

Hamilton Fixture Company was founded in 1959, providing counters to banks, post offices, and other retailers. Hamilton Fixture company designs and makes custom display cases and other fixtures for retailers. It uses such materials as wood, metal, glass, wire, and acrylic. Customers have included Barnes & Noble, Hollywood Video, Starbucks, T.J. Maxx, and Wal-Mart . Hamilton Fixture manufactures, warehouses, and distributes its products through 750,000 sq. ft. of facilities in Ontario, California, and Hamilton, Ohio.

Frederick's of Hollywood Group is making big business out of little somethings. Through the 2008 merger of Frederick's of Hollywood and Movie Star, the group pairs two of the top intimates makers and retailers. The group boasts US retail operations and wholesales in the US and Canada. Its Frederick's of Hollywood subsidiary peddles intimates, as well as wigs, hosiery, and dresses, through its catalog, e-commerce site, and more than 130 namesake stores. The group's Movie Star unit designs intimate apparel, sleepwear, leisurewear, and loungewear under brands Movie Star, Cinema Etoile, and others. Movie Star sells to discount, specialty, mass merchandise, and department stores and to catalog merchants.

Bulova is working to keep perfect time in the watch industry. It sells watches, clocks, and timepiece parts under brands such as Accutron and Wittnauer (luxury), Bulova (mid-priced), and Caravelle (lower-priced), as well as licensed Harley-Davidson and Frank Lloyd Wright styles. The firm also sells miniature collectible clocks, mostly under the Bulova name, and has expanded its licensing efforts to include items such as eyewear. Bulova peddles its products primarily through department and jewelry stores, mostly in the US. It has offices in Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, and the Far East. The Tisch brothers' holding company, Loews, bought Bulova in 1979 and sold it in 2008 to rival Citizen.

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