Industry News
Largest U.S. Custom Clothing Maker to Purchase Former Hickey Freeman Factory in Rochester, NY
The Tom James Co. is set to take over the former Hickey Freeman factory in Rochester, which was recently rebranded as Rochester Tailored Clothing.
Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. announced that the company, the largest U.S. maker of custom clothing, plans to purchase the Rochester factory, maintaining nearly 200 union employees and promising to add up to an additional 45 jobs over the next five years.
Hickey Freeman, known for its high-end men's suits, was founded in Rochester in 1899 by Jeremiah Hickey and Jacob Freeman and has been manufacturing clothing from its factory on North Clinton Avenue since 1912. The company has undergone several ownership changes in recent years and is the last remaining garment manufacturer in Rochester.
The company announced in May that starting in June its iconic Hickey Freeman suits would no longer be made in Rochester. The local operation – with approximately 200 employees – continued making clothing for other apparel brands. Earlier this year, Peerless Clothing, acquired the design rights, to manufacture and distribute Hickey Freeman-tailored clothing through an agreement with Authentic Brands, which owns the Hickey Freeman label. Manufacturing operations are moving to Mexico.
“This 112-year-old factory is a Rochester institution, woven into the very fabric of the community," Schumer said in a news release. "The hundreds of skilled Rochester union workers are the beating heart of this operation, and that is why I’ve fought time and again to keep it in business whenever it faced challenges."
Schumer, a longtime supporter of Hickey Freeman, sought out Tom James Co. CEO Todd Browne to take over the business and Browne agreed. The Tom James Co. is expected to officially acquire the Rochester factory this summer, Schumer said.
Founded in 1966, the Tom James Co. operates its headquarters in Tennessee and employs 3,000 workers across 13 factories including nine U.S. factories in which workers are members of the Workers United union – the same union that represents the Rochester factory workforce.
With the purchase, Rochester Tailored Clothing will become Tom James Co.'s 10th domestic manufacturing facility.“When I visited this Rochester facility a few years ago and walked the floor alongside the factory’s hardworking employees, many of whom have worked there for decades, I committed to making sure their future was secure for years to come," Schumer said. "Tom James Co., fueled by its own Workers United union workforce, has become an industry leader and is tailor-made to sew success now for Rochester’s future. Today, I’m proud to say that a promise made is a promise kept.”
Browne, in a news release, said that Tom Jones Co. is "firmly committed to preserving, and enhancing, the art of garment-making in the United States. We know of no workforce more qualified to further this mission than the men and women of Rochester Tailored Clothing."In recent years, Hickey Freeman received substantial governmental aid. Among them: a $4 million loan-to-grant from the state, along with $500,000 from the city, announced in February 2019 when the company announced plans to invest $8 million and create at least 80 jobs. The company employed 420 at the time.
During the pandemic, the company's business dropped by more than 75%. By 2021, the company had cut half its workforce and downsized its factory. But in an October 2021 press conference led by Schumer, the company said it planned to add 100 jobs and Schumer saw a place for the company to be an onshore supplier for PPE.
Rochester Regional Joint Board Manager Gary Bonadonna, Jr. said he is looking forward "to a bright future to strengthen and grow the Rochester factory and its workforce.”
The Rochester Tailored Clothing retail factory store – located at the corner of South Union and East Broad streets –will remain open, according to the news release.
Source: www.democratandchronicle.com
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