Kraemer Textiles Inc.

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Kraemer Textiles Inc. is a privately held American yarn manufacturing company founded in 1887, based in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. It produces its own handicraft yarns under the Kraemer Yarns brand, and spins natural and manmade fibers for carpets, industrial use, and home furnishings. It was one of the companies partnered with the Ralph Lauren Corporation to produce the distinctive outerwear for the 2014 Winter Olympics team representing the United States. [1]

Kraemer Hosiery Mills was founded in 1887 by Henry Kraemer and became a leading women's silk hosiery manufacturer. In 1907, the company was purchased by the Schmidt family, and ownership has remained in the family for multiple generations. The Kraemer name was retained as it was established in the marketplace, and became known as Kraemer Textiles. After World War II, spinning machines were installed that produced synthetic yarns for clothing, drapes, and upholstery. [2] Clients in the 1960s and 1970s included Burlington Industries and Mohawk Industries, and later military contracts. [3]

In the late 1980s, the company's business slowed as textile production fell in the United States due to overseas sourcing becoming less costly and therefore more desirable to buyers. In 1987, a plant was purchased in Berks County, Pennsylvania but the debt created by the purchase eventually led to the company having to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Over the years, production dropped from 300,000 pounds of yarn at its peak, to 50,000 per week in 2007 and annual revenues dropped from $20 million in 1997 to around $5 million in 2007. [2] [1]

However, another source of revenue was introduced with the creation of the Kraemer Yarns handicraft lines in 2005, taking advantage of the increased nationwide interest in crochet and knitting. [2] This was the first time the company created and manufactured its own brand of yarns versus providing products for other companies. [3] Kraemer also appealed to home dyers by marketing a selection of undyed yarns composed of various blends of fibers such as kid mohair, superwash Merino wool, organic cotton, linen and silk.

The company joined with the Ralph Lauren Corporation in making the iconic sweaters for the US Olympic Team seen during the opening of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Previously, the Corporation received negative press when it was found to have sourced the clothing it supplied to the athletes in 2012 from China, [4] so it vowed to source everything it produced for the 2014 Olympics from the US. Kraemer spun around 6,000 pounds [5] of Merino wool yarn from a ranch in Oregon, which was then sent to a dyer in North Carolina. The yarn amounted to approximately one-fourth of a standard week's production at the mill. David Schmidt, the President of Kraemer Yarns, said he and his 50 employees were proud to have been a part of the production. [6] [1]

Related Research Articles

Spinning is a twisting technique to form yarn from fibers. The fiber intended is drawn out, twisted, and wound onto a bobbin. A few popular fibers that are spun into yarn other than cotton, which is the most popular, are viscose, animal fibers such as wool, and synthetic polyester. Originally done by hand using a spindle whorl, starting in the 500s AD the spinning wheel became the predominant spinning tool across Asia and Europe. The spinning jenny and spinning mule, invented in the late 1700s, made mechanical spinning far more efficient than spinning by hand, and especially made cotton manufacturing one of the most important industries of the Industrial Revolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hosiery</span> Legwear for the feet and legs

Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as hose. The term is also used for all types of knitted fabric, and its thickness and weight is defined by denier or opacity. Lower denier measurements of 5 to 15 describe a hose which may be sheer in appearance, whereas styles of 40 and above are dense, with little to no light able to come through on 100 denier items.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wool</span> Textile fibre from the hair of sheep or other mammals

Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile</span> Various fiber-based materials

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yarn</span> Long continuous length of interlocked fibres

Yarn is a long continuous length of interlocked fibres, used in sewing, crocheting, knitting, weaving, embroidery, ropemaking, and the production of textiles. Thread is a type of yarn intended for sewing by hand or machine. Modern manufactured sewing threads may be finished with wax or other lubricants to withstand the stresses involved in sewing. Embroidery threads are yarns specifically designed for needlework. Yarn can be made of a number of natural or synthetic materials, and comes in a variety of colors and thicknesses. Although yarn may be dyed different colours, most yarns are solid coloured with a uniform hue.

This timeline of clothing and textiles technology covers events relating to fiber and flexible woven material worn on the body. This includes the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, and manufacturing systems (technology).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nazareth, Pennsylvania</span> Place in Pennsylvania, United States

Nazareth is a borough in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The borough's population was 6,053 at the 2020 census. Nazareth is part of the Lehigh Valley metropolitan area, which had a population of 861,899 and was the 68th-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. as of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cashmere wool</span> Fiber obtained from Kashmir goats and other types of goat

Kashmir wool, usually simply known as Kashmir, is a fiber obtained from Kashmir goats, pashmina goats, and some other breeds of goat. It has been used to make yarn, textiles and clothing for hundreds of years. Kashmir is closely associated with the Kashmir shawl, the word "Kashmir" deriving from an anglicization of Kashmir, when the Kashmir shawl reached Europe in the 19th century. Both the soft undercoat and the guard hairs may be used; the softer hair is reserved for textiles, while the coarse guard hair is used for brushes and other non-apparel purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of knitting</span> History of knitting

Knitting is the process of using two or more needles to pull and loop yarn into a series of interconnected loops in order to create a finished garment or some other type of fabric. The word is derived from knot, thought to originate from the Dutch verb knutten, which is similar to the Old English cnyttan, "to knot". Its origins lie in the basic human need for clothing for protection against the elements. More recently, hand knitting has become less a necessary skill and more of a hobby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metallic fiber</span> Thread wholly or partly made from metal

Metallic fibers are manufactured fibers composed of metal, metallic alloys, plastic-coated metal, metal-coated plastic, or a core completely covered by metal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile manufacturing</span> The industry which produces textiles

Textile manufacturing is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods such as clothing, household items, upholstery and various industrial products.

The manufacture of textiles is one of the oldest of human technologies. To make textiles, the first requirement is a source of fiber from which a yarn can be made, primarily by spinning. The yarn is processed by knitting or weaving, which turns yarn into cloth. The machine used for weaving is the loom. For decoration, the process of colouring yarn or the finished material is dyeing. For more information of the various steps, see textile manufacturing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Animal fiber</span> Natural fiber from animals like silk worms and sheep

Animal fibers are natural fibers that consist largely of certain proteins. Examples include silk, hair/fur and feathers. The animal fibers used most commonly both in the manufacturing world as well as by the hand spinners are wool from domestic sheep and silk. Also very popular are alpaca fiber and mohair from Angora goats. Unusual fibers such as Angora wool from rabbits and Chiengora from dogs also exist, but are rarely used for mass production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather (fabric)</span> Fabric made of interwoven yarns of mixed colors

In clothing, heather refers to a color effect created by mixing two or more different colored fibers or yarns. It is interwoven yarns of mixed colors, and possibly the type of fiber, producing another color. It is typically used to mix multiple shades of grey or grey with another color to produce a muted shade, but any two colors can be mixed, including bright colors. A mixed fabric color is achieved by using different colors of fiber and mixing them together. Black and white fiber mixed will combine to give grey heather fiber. Heather is blended fibers combined to create a multicolored effect. Heather effect is also known as melange effect.

A staple fiber is a textile fiber of discrete length. The opposite is a filament fiber, which comes in continuous lengths. Staple length is a characteristic fiber length of a sample of staple fibers. A fiber is made up of natural substances and is known for being longer than it is wide. It is an essential criterion in yarn spinning, and aids in cohesion and twisting. Compared to synthetic fibers, natural fibers tend to have different and shorter lengths. The quality of natural fibers like cotton is categorized into staple length such as short, medium, long staple, and extra-long. Gossypium barbadense, one of several cotton species, produces extra-long staple fibers. The staple fibers may be obtained from natural and synthetic sources. In the case of synthetics and blends, the filament yarns are cut to a predetermined length.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpaca fiber</span> Natural fiber

Alpaca fleece is the natural fiber harvested from an alpaca. There are two different types of alpaca fleece. The most common fleece type comes from a Huacaya. Huacaya fiber grows and looks similar to sheep wool in that the animal looks "fluffy". The second type of alpaca is Suri and makes up less than 10% of the South American alpaca population. Suri fiber is more similar to natural silk and hangs off the body in locks that have a dreadlock appearance. While both fibers can be used in the worsted milling process using light weight yarn or thread, Huacaya fiber can also be used in a woolen process and spun into various weight yarns. It is a soft, durable, luxurious and silky natural fiber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toyobo</span> Japanese manufacturers of fibres and textiles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eisaku Noro Company</span>

Eisaku Noro Company, Ltd. is a yarn manufacturer located in the Aichi Prefecture of Japan. The company produces yarns for handcrafting under the Noro brand name, as well as machine yarns for textile production using the Eisaku Noro label. The company was founded over forty years ago by Eisaku Noro. The handcrafting yarns in particular are well known for their vivid colors and combinations of diverse fiber types. They differ from a number of other manufactured yarns in the industry by having lengthier spans of color in the runs, causing distinctive striping patterns, as well as being partially spun by hand versus being produced completely by machines. In 2012, Noro Knitting Magazine initiated publication, which features knit and crochet patterns specifically designed for use with the yarns.

Ogre Knitwear is one of the leading manufacturers of knitwear in Europe. It has 390 employees. Turnover for 2011 was $15,093,775. It is based in Latvia

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scouring (textiles)</span> Chemical washing process

Scouring is a preparatory treatment of certain textile materials. Scouring removes soluble and insoluble impurities found in textiles as natural, added and adventitious impurities, for example, oils, waxes, fats, vegetable matter, as well as dirt. Removing these contaminants through scouring prepares the textiles for subsequent processes such as bleaching and dyeing. Though a general term, "scouring" is most often used for wool. In cotton, it is synonymously called "boiling out," and in silk, and "boiling off."

References

  1. 1 2 3 Falsone, Nick (2013-10-30). "Nazareth's Kraemer Yarns helps make uniforms for U. S. Olympic team". The Express-Times . Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  2. 1 2 3 Hughes, Melanie A. (2007-03-04). "Kraemer Textiles spins a tale of survival ** Knitting's resurgence gave company a new focus: craft yarns. ** Since 1887 Fourth Generation". The Morning Call . Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  3. 1 2 "About Us" . Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  4. ↑ Murray, Rheana (2014-02-19). "Ralph Lauren's 2014 Olympics opening ceremony outfits are 100% made in the USA". New York Daily News . Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  5. ↑ McBrayer, Sharon (2014-02-06). "2014 WINTER OLYMPICS: Longview Yarns dyed American's uniforms red, white and blue". Hickory Daily Record . Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  6. ↑ "Olympic athletes will wear threads made in the U.S.A." The Express-Times . 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2020-02-25.


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