 | This article has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
| Industry | Consumer goods |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1905; 120 years ago (1905) |
| Founders | Herbert Chesebro, Robert Ehany, Lawerance Bentz |
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Bob Chesebro (Chairman & CEO) |
| Products | Socks, hats, gloves |
| Website | www |
Wigwam Mills is ahosiery company based inSheboygan, Wisconsin, United States.
Wigwam Mills was founded in 1905 by Herbert Chesebro, Robert Ehany, and Lawerance Bentz inSheboygan, Wisconsin, a year after the Sheboygan Knitting Company burned to the ground. All three founders were employees of the company and purchased equipment and recruited employees from their former company. The new company was founded under the name "Hand Knit Hosiery Company." It madesocks andheadwear, primarily fromwool, for the residents and lumbermen of the area. At the time the company was supplied by numerous nearbywool mills.
By 1922, Herbert Chesebro gained partial control of the company after purchasing Bentz's share. The company flourished under Chesebro, however when the stock market crashed, the hosiery industry struggled in the difficult economy of theGreat Depression. After Herbert's death, the company had bank loans totaling $100,000. With the help of J.W. Hansen of theCitizens Bank, the company stayed in business.
In 1936, Robert Chesebro, Sr., after working at the company for 12 years, gained complete control of it. The company devoted up to 75% of its capacity toknitting for the troops overseas. By 1945 the company had expanded its line to includebaseball hosiery,anklets, hockey caps,mittens, and socks for all types of activities. The company prospered for the next 65 years knitting socks, headwear, and other knit products. On January 1, 1957, the company changed its name from Hand-Knit Hosiery to Wigwam Mills, based on the popularity of the brand. The company continued under the leadership of Robert Chesebro, Sr., and eventually the third generation of ownership, Robert Chesebro, Jr.
The 1980s saw growth in many areas for Wigwam. A new logo and more technicalsynthetic fibers were utilized to develop products such as the Poly-Wool line of performance socks as well as the overnight success—Moraine.
From the mid-1980s through the late 1990s the Wigwam 622 slouch socks became very popular. They were worn in various ways by kids, tweens, teens, college students and adults to show them off. The socks were not only worn as athletic wear but everyday fashions too, including: rolling up one's jeans or khakis, wearing the socks over skinny jeans or other cotton pants, or under ankle-length skirts and dresses. Two other very popular styles were one wearing the socks over leggings withKeds or boat shoes with oversized tees, oversized sweaters, an oversized sweater or oversized sweatshirt over a turtleneck. And two wearing the white color of the socks over opaque tights with a babydoll or skater dress and white Keds or in warmer weather with bike shorts showing from under the babydoll or skater dress with the white Keds.
In the 1990s, the company developed the Ultimax and INgenious brands. Each featured apatented sock technology. In 2007, both brands were brought under the Wigwambrand umbrella. Ultimax became Wigwam Pro and INgenious became Wigwam Fusion.
In 2020, siblings Chris Chesebro and Margaret Newhard took over the helm of the company from their father Robert Chesebro, Jr.[1] Later in 2021, Wigwam was awarded a patent for custom-fitting socks, designed to more-truly fit the anatomical shape of a foot compared to other socks.[2] In 2022, Wigwam became the official sock of the US Ski and Snowboard Team.[3]
