In 1916, Keds created an American Classic: the first shoe with a soft rubber sole and coined the term "sneaker." This original sneaker, called "the Champion" has remained a style icon for over ninety years. Worn by Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe and Jackie O, and consistently celebrated by Vogue, Elle and Women's Wear Daily, Keds continues to attract fashion designers, stylists and top editors in the industry with their classic, authentic style. Today, a new generation has discovered the Keds brand, which is helping to inspire a collective spirit of new American style, youthful optimism, collaboration and togetherness.

Stefanel makes the clothes that make the man. Or the woman. The company makes knitwear and casual clothes under the Stefanel and Hallhuber brands. In 2007 the company launched the upscale casual clothing brand HIGH through its Interfashion subsidiary. Stefanel's fashions are sold primarily in Europe, and in Asia to a lesser extent, through its roughly 700 stores. It also owns a 50% stake in airport retailer Nuance Group, which has more than 340 shops in some 70 airports across the globe. Stefanel's knitwear is produced at the company's Italian factory while Hallhuber goods are made in its home country of Germany. The company was founded in 1959 by Carlo Stefanel, whose family still runs the business.

Raani Corporation is a private label manufacturer and contract packaging firm that offers blending and filling services, research and development, and regulatory guidance to the personal care product industry. The company specializes in the production of hair care (including the ethnic hair care niche), skin care, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, household products, toiletries and bath care, baby care, and cosmetics. Raani's deodorants and assorted toiletries are sold by well known retailers including Kmart. CEO and president Rashid Chaudary started the business out of a garage in 1983.

Lion was established in 1891 and has adopted the slogan: From Good Morning to Good Night, More Dreams for Your Life. Lion takes pride in its top ranking among Japanese toothpaste and toothbrush manufacturers. Brands include Clinica, Dentor, and Dent. Besides oral care products, the company makes and sells laundry detergent, bleach, cleaners, shampoo, deodorant, and beauty products in several countries. Household products account for about half of sales, but Lion also operates food, chemical, and pharmaceutical divisions. The company has strengthened its competitiveness by introducing new products, such as a teeth-whitening toothpaste, medicated cleansing pads, and a men's deodorant.

Lady Burd Exclusive Cosmetics, a private-label manufacturer of personal care products, makes skin care items, color cosmetics, mineral cosmetics (such as those made by Bare Escentuals), hair care products, children's products, makeup brushes, cosmetic bags and cases, and displays. The company also provides custom printing and labels for products. Lady Burd Exclusive Cosmetics operates showrooms in California, New York, and Florida and offers make up courses (ranging from workshops for professional makeup artists to private consultations for teens and adults). The family-run business was founded by Roberta Burd more than 45 years ago.

Founded in 1980, Set-N-Me-Free Aloe Vera Co. is a top maker of aloe vera skin care products in the Pacific Northwest. It peddles its products through spas and salons nationwide, as well as through its own Web site. Aloe can't get you out of jail, but according to this company, it can set you free. Set-N-Me-Free Aloe Vera Co. is a personal care and pet care products manufacturer. The company specializes in making and selling items that contain 100% US-grown aloe vera. Set-N-Me-Free Aloe Vera Co. offers body and skin care (body wash, bath milk), hair care, sun care, body wraps, and herbal supplements. Its pet care items include dog shampoos and lotions.

Wally's was founded in 1991. Wally's Natural Products wants you to stick it in your ear -- the company's handmade ear candles that is. The personal care products firm is one of the largest suppliers of ear candles in the US for removing ear wax naturally. Wally's has modernized the more than 2,000-year-old practice of ear coning by offering disposable hollow candles constructed of unbleached cotton or linen dipped in paraffin or beeswax. Its products, which include ear candles, oil, and its Practical Guide to Ear Candling, are sold at certain pharmacies, natural health food stores, and GNC, as well as through the company's Web site and other e-tailers.

Fila USA, Inc company markets athletic shoes and sportswear to major US retailers (Foot Locker, Kohl's). To tout its products, it signs up the talents of professional athletes such as tennis stars James Blake and Jimmy Arias and musical acts such as hip-hop headliners Nas and the Wu-Tang Clan. With a history of high design in athletic shoes and sportswear, Fila had run down its image in lieu of a hodgepodge of athletic endorsements. The ailing US entity, along with other Fila global footwear and apparel units, was acquired by Fila Korea in 2007 from Sport Brands International (SBI). Fila Korea chairman Gene Yoon holds a 20% ownership stake.

Phat (acronymic slang for "pretty hot and tempting") Fashions designs and markets urban hip-hop fashions for men, women, and children under the Phat Farm and Baby Phat names. It also makes clothing in Big & Tall sizes. The company's products are sold through department and specialty stores, company-owned Phat Farm stores in New York and Montreal, and a Web site. Most of Phat Fashions' products -- which include apparel and accessories -- bear the brand name. The company got into footwear in 2008. Entrepreneur and hip-hop media guru Russell Simmons founded Phat Fashions in 1992; he sold it to clothier Kellwood in 2004.

Owned by John Anderson, Topa has about 40 businesses involved in auto dealerships, beer distribution, insurance, real estate, and more. Topa's beverage operations include Ace Beverage, Mission Beverages, and Paradise Beverages; the firm dominates the Hawaiian beer market. Brands sold include all major US brews and leading US imports, including Guinness, Heineken, and Anheuser-Busch InBev products. Anderson started in 1956 as a distributor of Hamm's beer. UCLA's Anderson School of Business, to which Anderson donated $15 million, is named for him.

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