The Work Wear Corporation was founded as the Cleveland Overall Company by Samuel Rosenthal in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1915. The company manufactured industrial work clothes. In 1919 Rosenthal bought the National Railroad Overall Company which made bib overalls and other work garments. In the early 1920s the enlarged Cleveland Overall Company developed an approach locally that later transformed the uniform industry nationally by making stylish, functional work garments available on a rental basis. Another successful innovation was to assure renters adequate industrial laundry capacity to clean rented garments. The company accomplished this by providing capitalizing and technical support to industrial laundries in Cleveland, Akron, Youngstown, and Buffalo, and then throughout the nation. Although many competitors entered the uniform manufacturing and service field following World War II, Cleveland Overall retained its leadership position in the industry, expanding its line to include coveralls, pants, shirts, shop coats, jackets, women's work clothes, and protective clothing.
In 1961, under Leighton Rosenthal, son of the founder, Cleveland Overall became the publicly held Work Wear Inc., again changing its name in 1976 to Work Wear Corporation, Inc. In the 1960s Work Wear acquired a number of laundries leading in 1968 to charges of violation of the Clayton Anti-Trust Act. As a consequence, the company divested itself of its thirty-one domestic laundries in 1977, retaining direct ownership of its Canadian and other foreign facilities. To continue its role as preeminent manufacturer of career apparel, Work Wear acquired manufacturers of work and leisure clothing, as well as companies making disposable hospital supplies. Paine Webber Capital, a subsidiary of Paine Webber Group, Inc. of New York City, acquired Work Wear in March 1986.
The Work Wear Corporation Records, 1961-1986, consist of annual reports, newspaper clippings, and brochures.
This collection is of value to researchers interested in the history of business in Cleveland, Ohio, in general, and, in particular, the garment industry and Jewish-owned businesses.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by document type and then chronologically.
The researcher should also consult MS 5094 Work Wear Corporation, Inc. Records, Series II.
Processed by Louis Rosenblum in 1997
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4765 Work Wear Corporation, Inc. Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Lois Wainwright, 1993
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.