Haggar Clothing

History

Joseph Marion Haggar, Sr. (1892–1987), an immigrant from Jezzine, Lebanon, moved to Dallas in 1921. He worked as a traveling overalls salesman for several years before establishing his own company in 1926 in a one-room office with four employees and two sewing machines. Within two years, he had 500 employees manufacturing 75,000 pairs of pants each year. His son Ed Haggar started working in the family business at 14 years old and later published a book, 'Big Ed Haggar' and the Family Behind an Apparel Giant (2001), about his experience working in his father's shop with his siblings Joe Jr. and Rosemary. By 1938, Ed Haggar was working as a full-time salesman and returned after serving in World War II as a captain. Haggar factories ran 24 hours a day to supply an adequate amount of clothing for the military; by the end of the war, more than ten million garments had been produced. By the end of the 1940s, Haggar was the largest producer and marketer of slacks in the world and Ed Haggar had moved from his role as vice president to president, where he stayed until 1971.

Since the 1940s, the company has inaccurately claimed to have coined the word slacks to reflect their use during "leisurely 'slack time'". Slacks referring to pants are recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary and Online Etymology Dictionary as dating back to 1824, originally to refer to military clothing. They may, however, have popularized the word in the United States. Haggar's pre-cuffed slacks were a major seller in the 1940s as they no longer required alterations from a tailor after purchase.

During the 1950s, Haggar became the first menswear brand to advertise on national television when their ad aired during the Today Show. Mickey Mantle signed with the company in 1954 to appear in their advertisements, starting with the "first wrinkle-free pants," which were marketed as wash 'n' wear slacks. In August 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered six pairs of Haggar slacks over the phone from Joe Haggar, Jr., after receiving a pair as a gift from Joe Haggar, Sr. In the phone call, Johnson requested a couple of modifications "down where your nuts hang" on each of his slacks, noting his current pants were, "Like riding a wire fence"

During the 1970s, the brand grew to include sports coats and vests and were the first to introduce separates that allowed customers to purchase jackets and pants independent of each other. In 1971, the company also released the Haggar Hanger, a clothes hanger that allowed pants to be hung rather than folded on a table. A women's line of apparel was introduced in 1984. By 1987, the company employed 7,000 people at six plants in the United States, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic. During the 1980s, Haggar became the first apparel company to use EDI technology and to use UPC to ticket merchandise. In 1987, Haggar received a patent for the size strip sticker.

Haggar's 100% cotton wrinkle-free pants hit the shelves in 1992. Haggar filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 1995. David Perdue joined the company in 1998 and as senior vice president began outsourcing much of the work. That year, the company had a net income of $8 million and $402.5 million worth of sales and acquired the dress company Jerell. Perdue became CEO of the company in 2001. The last major introductions before the Haggar family sold the company were the addition of moisture-wicking fabrics and pants with self-adjusting waistbands in 2002. In 2005, Perseus, LLC and part of the Pou Chen Group purchased the company for $212 million. Prior to this acquisition, Haggar "had an annual revenue of just under $500 million." By 2019, Haggar had 1,400 employees worldwide, including 400 in Dallas, and was named the "No. 1 selling dress pant[s] brand in the U.S." by The NPD Group.

Haggar was acquired by Randa Accessories on May 31, 2019.

As of 2021, Haggar clothing is available in more than 10,000 stores and online.

In media

Athletics

Haggar has a long-standing relationship with American athletic organizations and have featured a number of athletes in its advertising throughout the years. The MLB was represented by Mickey Mantle, whose sponsorship lasted from 1954 to the 1960s, Eddie Mathews, and Robin Roberts. PGA athletes included Arnold Palmer, Dow Finsterwald, and Doug Ford. Bobby Layne from the NFL also appeared.

Haggar began supplying the Pro Football Hall of Fame's iconic gold jacket in 1978. According to the NFL, the gold color is "hand-dipped for Haggar" and the only changes in the nearly 45 years of production are the wool used and the addition of a small amount of red to make the color look better on camera. They began making induction jackets for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012 and for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. The first NHL jacket went to Dallas Stars center Mike Modano. Haggar also makes induction jackets for the United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame.

During the 1975 World Championship Tennis (WCT) regular season, Rod Laver and Arthur Ashe criticized newcomer Jimmy Connors' breakout success. Connors offered to buy them "'a pair of Haggars' to soothe the[ir] wounds," a reference to the WCT top regular season prize from Haggar. According to Haggar, he was the first WCT player to mention the company. "I'm sending Connors a dozen pair," an official joked. "What's his waist size?"

Television and film

John Travolta (1971), Super Dave Osborne (1990s), Steve Martin (1973), Howard Hesseman (1973), and Gene Barry all appeared in advertisements for Haggar Clothing. In 1998 episode of The Simpsons, Krusty the Clown mentions stealing a pair of Haggar slacks.

References

References

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2. Karr, Arnold J.. (2009-03-20). "Paul Buxbaum, New Haggar CEO". Women's Wear Daily.
3. Thomas, Brenner. (2007-11-05). "New Haggar CEO lays out strategy". Women's Wear Daily.
4. (2005-11-01). "Haggar Corp. names new CEO". Midland Reporter-Telegram.
5. (1987-12-17). "Obituaries : Joseph Haggar; Founder of Apparel Firm". The Los Angeles Times.
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7. (n.d.). "slack". Online Etymology Dictionary.
8. (2020-09-21). "The Difference between Slacks, Pants and Trousers". Linguaholic.
9. Courtney, David. (2021-08-12). "The Texanist: Is It Okay to Wear Cowboy Boots With Cuffed Trousers?". Texas Monthly.
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11. Korosec, Thomas. (2013-11-15). "At Haggar, Everything Old is New Again". D Magazine.
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15. (January 26, 1995). "Haggar Files For Bankruptcy".
16. McCaffrey, Shannon. (2014-05-03). "David Perdue's business record mixed". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
17. Sarlin, Benjy. (2014-10-03). "David Perdue: 'I spent most of my career' working on outsourcing". MSNBC.
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19. (2021-12-05). "Former U.S. Senator David Perdue is running for governor of Georgia". Fox 28.
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29. . (1958-04-28). ["Big hit with Doug Ford... Haggar wash and wear slacks"]({{Google books).
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31. (2021). "Class of 2020 Gets First Look at Their Gold Jackets". Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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34. Brown, Travis L.. (2014-09-05). "Modano checks in at 42-long for Hall jacket". Star-Telegram.
35. . (1975-04-28). ["COOL WARMUP FOR JIMBO"](https://vault.si.com/vault/1975/04/28/cool-warmup-for-jimbo).
36. McKittrick, Chris. (2015-02-18). "Watch John Travolta in a 1971 Commercial for $13 Pants". Daily Actor.
37. (1993-10-15). "The New Wrinkle in Men's Trousers : Innovation: They're promised to be smooth no matter what, and they're '' cotton'' . We tried them at home. The results? Well, don't lose that iron.". LA Times.
38. Loomis, Erik. (2022-01-30). "LGM FILM CLUB, PART 245: HAGGAR POLYESTER SLACKS". Lawyers Guns & Money.
39. (2009-12-11). "Gene Barry dies at 90; star of 'Bat Masterson' and co-star of 'La Cage aux Folles'". LA Times.
40. (1998-02-22). "The Last Temptation of Krust".