Gold Toe Brands, Inc., is the third-largest United States based producer of socks.[1]
Gold Toe was founded by Fritz S. Stern, Fritz Bendheim, and J. Kuglemanin in Bally, Pennsylvania on September 18, 1919, under the name Great American Knitting Mills.[2] In 1923, Rudolf Abrams, a cousin of Fritz Stern's wife, joined the company.[3]
During the Great Depression, Gold Toe began manufacturing men's socks from high quality Irish linen, making their product resistant to holes and fraying. In the 1930s, the company added gold acetate thread to the toes of its socks in order to make it visually distinctive on store shelves.
The manufacturer changed its name to Gold Toe Brands Inc. in 2002.
Gold Toe merged with competitor Moretz in 2006 to form Gold Toe Moretz. Gildan Activewear acquired the company in 2011. The following year, they partnered with advertising agency, DeVito/Verdi, to “revitalize and contemporize” the brand.
The company's headquarters are located in Burlington, North Carolina, with executive headquarters in New York City. Gold Toe Brands, Inc. has shifted much of its manufacturing to China, particularly the Zhejiang province.
Vice-president Trish McHale intended to create cheap socks for mostly men.[4] [5] [6] Although its primary market is men's dress socks, Gold Toe Brands has expanded into other areas of the sock market. In 1983, it added a line of women's socks; then in 1986, began producing boys' socks. In 1992, the brand started making women's tights.
Gold Toe socks produce 140 million pairs of socks annually and are on the American Podiatric Medical Association's approved list of brands for foot health.