Who is Van Heusen? (Part 3 of 3)

Or better yet… who WEARS van Heusen?

In the 1930’s and 1940’s, you would have seen Van Heusen advertisements regularly appearing in the Saturday Evening Post. It is a little-known fact that Van Heusen was one of the first companies to use celebrities to endorse its products in advertising. What we see everywhere we turn today was an unknown concept in the 1950’s until Van Heusen used a few famous faces to represent their dress shirts. Here are just a few:

Charlton Heston

Movie actor Charlton Heston did a few ads for Van Heusen dress shirts in the early 1950’s, selling their Century shirts and Moulin Rouge collections. 

He was in several movies during that time, including The President’s Lady and Arrowhead. (left)

Jerry Lewis

In 1957, comedian Jerry Lewis used his famous face for an ad for Van Heusen’s wrinkle free Century shirts – on sale for $4.00 each! (right)

Ronald Reagan

Actor and future President Ronald Reagan is perhaps the most recognizable face to grace a Van Heusen shirt ad. In 1953, he did a Christmas ad showing how durable the collars are, with a series of pictures with captions underneath each saying “you can twist it” “you can twirl it” “you can bend it” ad “you can curl it.” Artist Andy Warhol famously turned the ad into a painting in 1985, just two years before his death. This made the ad a must-have for collectors and made it one of the most sought-after and recognizable Van Heusen ad.

Celebrities in their prime were used consistently to endorse van Heusen shirts, and also included Jimmy Stewart, Tony Curtis and Bob Hope. They used celebrity lifestyle to sell their goods and saw a successful rise in sales in return.

Today is no different, with Van Heusen appealing to a mass market for both men and

women. In the past two years, Van Heusen has expanded its reach through sports marketing programs with the National Football League and the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame. Football legends Steve Young, Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders are the faces of the Van Heusen Institute of Style campaign, in which Steve, Jerry and Deion dispense fashion advice that helps men go “from schlub to swagger.”

60 years after starting the celebrity endorsement trend, Van Heusen is enjoying worldwide name recognition and is a top-selling brand around the world. To take advantage of our competitive prices and ad a little “swagger” to your wardrobe, visit our online store at www.garffshirts.com. We also offer a full selection of Calvin Klein dress shirts, IZOD polo shirts and more for both men and women. 

Who is Van Heusen? (Part 2 of 3)

Profits between 1919 and 1922 were in the millions each year, and Phillips-Jones was producing shirts by the thousands each day. They also started producing other clothing, like pajamas, undies, nightshirts, and silk cloth. The company took a hit for a few years following the Great Depression, and again in the late 1930’s during another economic downturn. But they held fast to their brand and continued to market to the right clientele and sell their clothing.

The 40’s saw an upward swing once again when the company added neckwear to its line of goods, and introduced its Century collar-attached shirt after World War II.

Cut to 1957, the company changed its name once again to Phillips-Van Heusen (PVH) in honor of its most well-known item, the Van Heusen dress shirt. Rapid expansion ensued, with the acquisition of retail stores and the development of Lady Van Heusen, a women’s clothing department. They seemed unstoppable.

Even though there was an ebb and flow over the next several decades, some of the most recognizable brands have emerged under PVH – like IZOD, Geoffrey Beene, Etienne Aigner, and Bass shoes. They have a large presence in clothing stores around the world, selling shirts, pants, ties, footwear and more to millions of loyal consumers.

Make sure to check back for Part 3, when we discuss WHO has been lucky enough to wrap themselves in Van Heusen shirts…

Who is Van Heusen? (Part 1 of 3)

Van Heusen clothing has been making a name for itself in recent years, even being called the #1 Dress Shirt Brand in America! But many people don’t realize the history behind the brand.

The manufacturer of Van Heusen clothing, Phillips-Jones Company, Inc., dates back to 1881 when father and son team Moses and Isaac sold flannel shirts in their hometown of Pottsville, PA, under the name M. Phillips & Son. The shirts were made by Moses’ wife Endel and their daughters (Isaac’s sisters) and were sold to coal miners.  Eventually, demand grew enough that Phillips had to merge with D. Jones & Sons, who operated a chain of factories in PA. After seeing much success, they expanded into New York City in the early 1900’s, and changed their name to Phillips-Jones Corp.

Around the same time, a gentlemen named John Manning van Heusen, a Dutch immigrant, was busy creating the first “soft-folding” collar and securing the patent for his invention. This allowed the look of the stiff collar, with the comfort of softer material fused around the curve of the neck.  Apparently, collars were not attached to mens dress shirts before this (whaaaat??)

Isaac Phillips met with van Heusen and purchased his collar patent. An alliance was born, and the rest, as they say, is history…

This story picks up where it left off in part 2…

How Tuxedo Shirts can Benefit your Business

As much as we are told not to judge a book by its cover, all too often people make decisions based on what they see. If you want to change the perception of your establishment, start with the look. You can add candles, put up some nice paintings and set the mood with some dim lighting, but have you ever thought about changing the uniforms of your staff? By outfitting your staff with tuxedo shirts, you can give your business the extra class it needs!

When people see a staff in tuxedo shirts, they expect something more from the establishment, and when you want people to view your business as an elegant one, having a fashionable uniform is a must. There is nothing classier than tuxedo shirts and getting enough for your staff is more affordable than you think!

The smallest investments into the look of your business can make a world of difference when it comes to the perception of your business. Not only does your staff look better, but the customer experience is enhanced as well. When your customers feel like are in a fine establishment, they are more willing to part with their money, which means higher profit margins for you.

By outfitting your staff with tuxedo shirts, bow ties and more stylish uniforms, you can bring a sense a class to any establishment. Consider updating your uniforms today!

Stay Stocked on Scrubs

So you work crazy hours and you don’t get that much down time during the day; don’t spend your precious free time doing laundry! Working in the medical field is tough and the hours are even tougher, which is why you should have a surplus of scrubs to choose from when you get ready for work in the morning… or evening.

When you have enough scrubs to get you through the week, you won’t have to hit the laundry mat at 3am so you can be ready for your shift at 7. Everybody needs to recharge their batteries after a tough day at the office, and when your office takes care of people’s health, it is extra important that you are rejuvenated and ready to take on the tasks of the day, instead of regretting not having enough scrubs.

Another good idea is to have a spare pair of scrubs in the car. By making sure you have an emergency pair of scrubs with you gives you peace of mind that you otherwise wouldn’t have. Want to crash at your parents? Run out of scrubs at home? With an emergency pair on you at all times, you have more freedom and you can be more flexible with your time outside of the hospital.

While it may seem like a simple thing to do, the time you save if worth far more than the money you spend by having extra scrubs and emergency scrubs!