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International Textile Group (ITG) was a diversified fabric maker. The company was founded in Greensboro, North Carolina by Wilbur Ross and was sold to Platinum Equity in 2016, leading to a headquarters move from Greensboro to Beverly Hills, California. Following a 2019 merger, International Textile Group was absorbed into Elevate Textiles. [1]
The company was founded by Wilbur Ross. WL Ross & Co acquired the assets of the former Burlington Industries out of bankruptcy in late 2003, and the assets of the former Cone Mills Corporation in 2004.
In 2006, ITG merged with Safety Components International, Inc., a Greenville, South Carolina company that manufactures nylon fabrics that are used in automotive airbags, that was also controlled by Wilbur Ross.
In January 2007, ITG announced that it was selling it mattress fabric product line to Culp, Inc., another U.S. textile company that is based in High Point, NC. Also during 2007, the Company has opened a mill in China that will develop apparel and interior fabrics and the Company is developing a Vietnam venture that will supply apparel fabrics and garments.
On April 1, 2007, BST Safety Textiles came into the ITG family of business. By adding BST Safety Textiles ITG's business in automotive components has now grown significantly. However, in the summer of 2009, ITG's air bag unit filed bankruptcy and was taken over by secured creditors.
In December 2006, Wilbur Ross completed the purchase of BST Safety Textiles GmbH (BST), previously known as Berger Safety Textiles, of Maulburg, Germany. BST is a producer of flat fabric used in manufacturing automobile airbags, one piece woven (known as OPW) airbags, and narrow fabric used in automobile seatbelts and all types of industrial strapping applications. BST currently operates locations in southern Germany, Poland, and the US in Virginia. BST employs over 1200 persons worldwide.
In 2008, ITG sold trademark rights to the Burlington brand for men's clothing and accessories to Falke, a German fashion company. [2]
ITG was sold to private equity firm Platinum Equity in 2016, and later moved its headquarters to its parent company's home city of Beverly Hills. [3] [4]
ITG announced layoffs at its Greensboro-based White Oak denim mill in April 2009. [5] ITG closed the White Oak mill entirely on December 31, 2017, after 110 years of operation. [6]
The venture capital firm Platinum Equity followed its 2016 purchase of ITG with the acquisition of Mount Holly, North Carolina-based thread maker American & Efrid in 2018. In 2019, Platinum consolidated ITG, American & Efrid, and other fabric and materials manufacturers into the new Elevate Textiles. [1] [7]
ITG's operating companies included Cone Denim, Burlington WorldWide Apparel, Burlington House Interior Fabrics, Carlisle Finishing, and Automotive Safety Textiles.
After the 2003 establishment of the company, ITG continued to manufacture fabrics in North America, but it also opened fabric mills in China, Vietnam and Central America. Its best-known fabrics are denim and specialty nylon fabrics used in automotive airbag systems.
ITG denim fabrics were made in the United States in Greensboro, North Carolina, in Mexico, and at the time newer company plants in China and Nicaragua. In the summer of 2009, ITG reported that it had ceased operations at the newly-opened Nicaragua mill. [5]
Many ready-to-wear brands purchase fabrics from Cone Denim, including Levi's, Wrangler and American Eagle Outfitters. The company is also known for its worsted wool fabrics, which are made in North Carolina and in Mexico. The company has developed a source for wool fabrics in India by working with OCM India Limited, a mill in Amritsar, India, which is also owned by funds controlled by W.L. Ross & Co. Customers of the wool fabrics include many well-known makers of wool garments such as Jos A. Bank and others. The company also produces some technical fabrics, such as fabrics made of polyester and nylon. These fabrics have a variety of uses, such as in uniforms, in performance apparel items, and for safety services.
The ITG Automotive Group manufactured fabrics and cushion for airbags, which are sold to automotive safety groups, such as Autoliv, TRW and Delphi. Many automobiles throughout the world contain ITG's safety fabrics. The fabrics and cushion were manufactured in various locations, including the United States, Germany, Poland, China, and Mexico.
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the only manufacturing method, and many other methods were later developed to form textile structures based on their intended use. Knitting and non-woven are other popular types of fabric manufacturing. In the contemporary world, textiles satisfy the material needs for versatile applications, from simple daily clothing to bulletproof jackets, spacesuits, and doctor's gowns.
Lyocell is a semi-synthetic fiber used to make textiles for clothing and other purposes. It is a form of regenerated cellulose made by dissolving pulp and dry jet-wet spinning. Unlike rayon made by the more common viscose processes, Lyocell production does not use carbon disulfide, which is toxic to workers and the environment. Lyocell was originally trademarked as Tencel in 1982.
Chenille is a type of yarn, or the fabric made from it. Chenille is the French word for caterpillar, whose fur the yarn is supposed to resemble.
Cordura is a brand of synthetic fiber-based fabrics used in products such as: luggage, backpacks, trousers, military wear, and performance apparel.
Collins & Aikman Corporation was an automotive manufacturer of cockpit modules and automotive floor and acoustic systems and a supplier of instrument panels, automotive fabric, plastic based trim and convertible top systems. The Company's operations spanned 15 countries, incorporating about 120 facilities and approximately 25,000 employees. It entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy on May 17, 2005 and went out of business on October 12, 2007.
Sun protective clothing is clothing specifically designed for sun protection and is produced from a fabric rated for its level of ultraviolet (UV) protection. A novel weave structure and denier may produce sun protective properties. In addition, some textiles and fabrics employed in the use of sun protective clothing may be pre-treated with UV-inhibiting ingredients during manufacture to enhance their effectiveness.
Morada Limited is a textile company based in Altham, Lancashire. Morada specializes in curtains.
Malden Mills Industries is the original developer and manufacturer of Polartec polar fleece and manufactures other modern textiles. The company is located in Andover, Massachusetts and has operations in Hudson, New Hampshire.
Burlington Industries, formerly Burlington Mills, is a diversified American fabric maker based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded by J. Spencer Love in Burlington, North Carolina in 1923, the company has operations in the United States, Mexico, and India and a global manufacturing and product development network based in Hong Kong with over 8,000 employees on several sites in the United States, Canada and worldwide.
"Technical textile" refers to a category of textiles specifically engineered and manufactured to serve functional purposes beyond traditional apparel and home furnishing applications. These textiles are designed with specific performance characteristics and properties, making them suitable for various industrial, medical, automotive, aerospace, and other technical applications. Unlike conventional textiles used for clothing or decoration, technical textiles are optimized to offer qualities such as strength, durability, flame resistance, chemical resistance, moisture management, and other specialized functionalities to meet the specific needs of diverse industries and sectors.
The American Woolen Company is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of men’s and women’s worsted and woolen fabrics. Based in Stafford Springs, Connecticut, the company operates from the 160-year-old Warren Mills, which it acquired from Loro Piana SpA in June 2014.
Cone Mills Corporation was an American textile manufacturing company. It produced cotton fabrics such as corduroy, flannel, and denim. The company headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Toyobo Co., Ltd. is one of Japan's top makers of fibers and textiles, including synthetic fibers and natural fibers, such as cotton and wool.
Wet Processing Engineering is one of the major streams in Textile Engineering or Textile manufacturing which refers to the engineering of textile chemical processes and associated applied science. The other three streams in textile engineering are yarn engineering, fabric engineering, and apparel engineering. The processes of this stream are involved or carried out in an aqueous stage. Hence, it is called a wet process which usually covers pre-treatment, dyeing, printing, and finishing.
Clothing industry or garment industry summarizes the types of trade and industry along the production and value chain of clothing and garments, starting with the textile industry, embellishment using embroidery, via the fashion industry to apparel retailers up to trade with second-hand clothes and textile recycling. The producing sectors build upon a wealth of clothing technology some of which, like the loom, the cotton gin, and the sewing machine heralded industrialization not only of the previous textile manufacturing practices. Clothing industries are also known as allied industries, fashion industries, garment industries, or soft goods industries.
Arvind Limited is an Indian textile manufacturer and the flagship company of the Lalbhai Group. Its headquarters are in Naroda, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, and it has units at Santej. The company manufactures cotton shirting, denim, knits and bottomweight (khaki) fabrics. It had also recently ventured into technical textiles with its Advanced Materials Division in 2011. The company is India's largest denim manufacturer.
WL Ross & Co is a private equity company founded and based in New York by Wilbur Ross in April 2000. The company focuses on investments in financially distressed companies with undervalued stocks, in the $100 to $200 million range, usually in the United States, Asia, Korea, Ireland, Japan, France and China. By acquiring majority stake in their investments through purchases and/or buyouts, WL Ross & Co. LLC then have the option of restructuring, turnarounds, mergers, reorganizations and industry consolidation. Starting in 2002, WL Ross began acquiring the assets of bankrupt steel companies such as LTV Steel Corp, Bethlehem Steel, Weirton Steel, Acme Steel, Georgetown Steel, Youngstown Sheet and Tube, and Republican Steel. By 2003 Ross had established relationships with the United Steelworkers, promising to save jobs. WL Ross founded the company International Steel Group (ISG) by combining bankrupt LTV Corp., Acme Steel and Bethlehem Steel, which quickly became the largest integrated steel company in the United States and was a Fortune 500 company by 2005.
Maria Bogner was a German fashion designer credited with developing practical stretch pants, thereby profoundly affecting the direction of the ski fashion industry. She created colorful, sexy, and functional stretchy skiwear. Her husband's established ski apparel company, the development of stretch material in the 1950s, and her sewing skills all contributed to her success. Her stretch pants, as modeled by leading ski athletes of the period, provided aerodynamic, form-fitting cut, color variety and practicality as ski garments.
Chatham Manufacturing Company is an American textile brand founded in 1877 that has made automobile upholstery, jeans, and flannels. Its most famous product is the Chatham Blanket. It was the largest blanket manufacturer in the world at its height.
Unifi Manufacturing, Inc. is an American-based international textile manufacturing company which specializes in polyester yarns.