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.