History
JULIUS
Julius Kayser founded his silk glove company, Julius Kayser & Co. in New York in 1880.
By 1908, the company was advertising its black silk stockings, in addition to its “famous silk gloves.” Julius Kayser & Co. (of Hornell, NY) was incorporated in June 1911 to “do a general merchandise business” and their advertising at that time noted that they were “manufacturers of silk gloves, hosiery, underwear, etc.” Advertisements in 1912 touted their cloth gloves and “not patent leather gloves” and that they marketed their products “in Canada, England, France, Italy, South America, and even Germany” where they had a glove factory in Muhlau.
In 1947, the company acquired the capital stock of the Nazareth Waist Company of Nazareth PA. Other subsidiaries included Julius Kayser Company, Ltd. of Canada, and Belton Hosiery Mills of Belton, S.C. In May 1954, a group headed by Mr. Feinberg, Mr. Goldsmith and Benjamin Heinerfeld gained control of Kayser. The new owners hired designer John Norman for their lingerie line. At that time, Kayser purchased Corrette Corporation, a manufacturer of women’s skirts and petticoats, and acquired Catalina Inc, a producer of sportswear and swimwear, establishing Kayser as one of the nation’s largest apparel and accessories manufacturers.
Nuevo Fashion
1955 saw a consolidation of the companies under one roof at 425 Fifth Avenue. The divisions of Kayser & Co. divisions that were to occupy space in the new fashion center were the Kayser Division, at 500 Fifth Avenue since 1932, manufacturer of women’s lingerie, hosiery, fabric apparel, children’s underwear and sleepwear; the Holeproof Company, men’s hosiery and underwear and women’s hosiery; Catalina Division, swimwear and sportswear; Diamond Division, manufacturer of Fruit-of-the-Loom women’s hosiery; Corette, women’s lingerie; Nazareth, baby and children’s underwear and sleepwear; Sherman Underwear Mills and Guttman-Mayor Gloves.
In 1956 advertisements began appearing for Luxite-Kayser lingerie. The last ad found for Luxite-Kayser was in 1960 and the last U.S. and Canadian ad for Kayser was a 1966 ad for a nylon nightgown. A 2010 inquiry to Kayser Lingerie of Australia elicited an unexpected response that they were not related to the original Julius Kayser company.
KAYSER EXPANDS INTO
Kayser was born in South America in the 60’s, when its founder Don Jacob Nazal negotiates in the USA, the use of the brand for the manufacture and sale throughout the territory.
In 1998, Edward Abugattas and Jaime Nazal take control of the company and acquire the brand for its commercialization in all America, giving a new commercial focus directed to the whole family.
