Playtex
Encyclopedia
Playtex and PlayTex are a brand and trademark. It used to be associated with bras and women's undergarments. Currently there are two separate companies with the Playtex name.
The women's undergarment Playtex manufactures feminine hygiene and infant care products. The name comes from "perforated latex" which sandwiched between cloth gave the underwear its elastic and body-shaping character.
A children's diaper and other baby products company also bears the PlayTex name. This has been and continues to be a source of confusion.
produced ladies' swim caps and latex gloves. Spanel is said to have maintained living quarters in the original building and would often walk the factory floor in the evening while wearing his bathrobe. His employees were among the earlier to have air-conditioning and paid life and health insurance. The New York factory was later destroyed by fire. Spanel moved his operations to Dover, Delaware
in 1939 where they remain to this day.
During World War II, Spanel contributed more than $1 million to the war effort, his profit from materiel
contracts. Inflatable rafts were made during war. When the war ended the company used the materials developed for life jackets for other purposes, particularly for intimate apparel garments such as girdles and bras.
Playtex is noted for a focus on comfortable girdles (the 18 hour girdle and its coordinating range, and the I can't believe it's a girdle range) and innovation in brassiere design such as the introduction of the cross your heart patented design which enjoyed a worldwide success. Many different names in different languages such as Coeur croisé in French, Zeuber Creuz in German, Cruzado Magico in Spanish, now with many imitators appeared as the patent expired. All Playtex branded products were manufactured at the Dover complex at the time.
Playtex was the first to advertise tampon
s on television. Using live models instead of mannequins to model bras in TV commercials was also a first for the company.
In the 1960s, Playtex subsidiary ILC Dover
had a contract with NASA
to produce their space suit
s.
, in 1954. International Playtex was formed as a consumer products subsidiary in 1960; and Alph Peterson was named its head.
Stanley Warner merged with fellow theater company Glen Alden in 1968, which merged with Rapid-American in 1972. Rapid-American sold the company, renamed as International Playtex, Inc. to Esmark in 1975. Beatrice Foods
purchased Esmark in 1984. In December 1986, a group of Company executives headed by Joel Smilow, together with Drexel Burnham Lambert
, bought the company in a leveraged buyout
.
A new LBO occurred in 1988 on the occasion of which the Company was split into two separate and independent businesses:
- The Intimate apparel business under the name of Playtex Apparel Inc and
- The feminine hygiene products business under the name of Playtex Products.
Playtex products based in Dover included such brands as Playtex Living Gloves, Almay and Jhirmack. In 1999, the company acquired Personal Care Brands, the makers of Chubs and Wet Ones.
The Playtex complex in Dover currently produces tampons and packages infant care products. Disposable baby bottle liners are also made at the site. The old red brick Playtex factory building on Route 13 in Dover was recently sold.
Playtex Apparel Inc, based in Stamford (CT) focused on ladies apparel business under the well-known brands of the company such as Cross Your Heart, 18 hours, and many others and continued strong international developments. From 1988 the European portion of its business got its own R and D and design organization to develop products more suitable for the European market than pure American designed products. It came as a success.
In late 1991, Playtex Apparel was acquired by Sara Lee and got progressively integrated in the Sara Lee's Branded Apparel Division.
In 2006, Sara Lee spun off its clothing sector into HanesBrands Inc., which now runs the Playtex apparel business, as well as other clothing brands such as Hanes
and Champion
. The exception was the European portion of its branded apparel business which was sold to private investors. As a consequence, European Playtex is now operated along with other brands under the company name of DBApparel, independently from HanesBrands.
In 2007 Playtex Products, Inc. was acquired by Energizer Holdings
, and continues to use the Playtex brand name on feminine hygiene
(tampons) and infant care products. Other brands not using the Playtex name include the Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic
sunscreens and Wet Ones disposable wipes. Including Playtex, these brands are now part of the Energizer Personal Care division which also includes the Wilkinson Sword
and Schick (razors)
brands.
The women's undergarment Playtex manufactures feminine hygiene and infant care products. The name comes from "perforated latex" which sandwiched between cloth gave the underwear its elastic and body-shaping character.
A children's diaper and other baby products company also bears the PlayTex name. This has been and continues to be a source of confusion.
History
Playtex was founded in 1932 as the International Latex Corporation by Russian immigrant Abram Nathaniel Spanel, an industrialist, inventor and philanthropist who held over 2,000 patents. Spanel's original factory in Rochester, New YorkRochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
produced ladies' swim caps and latex gloves. Spanel is said to have maintained living quarters in the original building and would often walk the factory floor in the evening while wearing his bathrobe. His employees were among the earlier to have air-conditioning and paid life and health insurance. The New York factory was later destroyed by fire. Spanel moved his operations to Dover, Delaware
Dover, Delaware
The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...
in 1939 where they remain to this day.
During World War II, Spanel contributed more than $1 million to the war effort, his profit from materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
contracts. Inflatable rafts were made during war. When the war ended the company used the materials developed for life jackets for other purposes, particularly for intimate apparel garments such as girdles and bras.
Playtex is noted for a focus on comfortable girdles (the 18 hour girdle and its coordinating range, and the I can't believe it's a girdle range) and innovation in brassiere design such as the introduction of the cross your heart patented design which enjoyed a worldwide success. Many different names in different languages such as Coeur croisé in French, Zeuber Creuz in German, Cruzado Magico in Spanish, now with many imitators appeared as the patent expired. All Playtex branded products were manufactured at the Dover complex at the time.
Playtex was the first to advertise tampon
Tampon
A tampon is a mass of cotton or rayon or a mixture of the two inserted into a body cavity or wound to absorb bodilyfluid. The most common type in daily use is designed to be inserted into the vagina during menstruation to absorb the flow of menstrual fluid...
s on television. Using live models instead of mannequins to model bras in TV commercials was also a first for the company.
In the 1960s, Playtex subsidiary ILC Dover
ILC Dover
ILC Dover, LP is an engineering development and manufacturing company based in Frederica, Delaware. ILC specializes in the use of high-performance flexible materials, serving the aerospace, personal protection, and pharmaceutical industries.Best known for making space suits for NASA, ILC...
had a contract with NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
to produce their space suit
Space suit
A space suit is a garment worn to keep an astronaut alive in the harsh environment of outer space. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, and are necessary for extra-vehicular activity , work done outside spacecraft...
s.
Later developments
International Latex was purchased by Stanley Warner, the former theater holdings of Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, in 1954. International Playtex was formed as a consumer products subsidiary in 1960; and Alph Peterson was named its head.
Stanley Warner merged with fellow theater company Glen Alden in 1968, which merged with Rapid-American in 1972. Rapid-American sold the company, renamed as International Playtex, Inc. to Esmark in 1975. Beatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods
Beatrice Foods Company was a major American food processing company. In 1987, its smaller international food operations were sold to Reginald Lewis, a corporate attorney creating TLC Beatrice International, after which the majority of its domestic brands and assets were acquired by Kohlberg,...
purchased Esmark in 1984. In December 1986, a group of Company executives headed by Joel Smilow, together with Drexel Burnham Lambert
Drexel Burnham Lambert
Drexel Burnham Lambert was a major Wall Street investment banking firm, which first rose to prominence and then was forced into bankruptcy in February 1990 by its involvement in illegal activities in the junk bond market, driven by Drexel employee Michael Milken. At its height, it was the...
, bought the company in a leveraged buyout
Leveraged buyout
A leveraged buyout occurs when an investor, typically financial sponsor, acquires a controlling interest in a company's equity and where a significant percentage of the purchase price is financed through leverage...
.
A new LBO occurred in 1988 on the occasion of which the Company was split into two separate and independent businesses:
- The Intimate apparel business under the name of Playtex Apparel Inc and
- The feminine hygiene products business under the name of Playtex Products.
Playtex products based in Dover included such brands as Playtex Living Gloves, Almay and Jhirmack. In 1999, the company acquired Personal Care Brands, the makers of Chubs and Wet Ones.
The Playtex complex in Dover currently produces tampons and packages infant care products. Disposable baby bottle liners are also made at the site. The old red brick Playtex factory building on Route 13 in Dover was recently sold.
Playtex Apparel Inc, based in Stamford (CT) focused on ladies apparel business under the well-known brands of the company such as Cross Your Heart, 18 hours, and many others and continued strong international developments. From 1988 the European portion of its business got its own R and D and design organization to develop products more suitable for the European market than pure American designed products. It came as a success.
In late 1991, Playtex Apparel was acquired by Sara Lee and got progressively integrated in the Sara Lee's Branded Apparel Division.
In 2006, Sara Lee spun off its clothing sector into HanesBrands Inc., which now runs the Playtex apparel business, as well as other clothing brands such as Hanes
Hanes
Hanes and Hanes Her Way are brands of apparel currently owned by the HanesBrands, Inc Corporation...
and Champion
Champion (sportswear)
Champion is a manufacturer of clothing, specializing in sportswear. The brand is a subsidiary of HanesBrands Inc. , which was spun off by the Sara Lee Corporation....
. The exception was the European portion of its branded apparel business which was sold to private investors. As a consequence, European Playtex is now operated along with other brands under the company name of DBApparel, independently from HanesBrands.
In 2007 Playtex Products, Inc. was acquired by Energizer Holdings
Energizer Holdings
Energizer Holdings is an American manufacturer of batteries and personal care products, headquartered in Town and Country, Missouri. Its most well known brands are Energizer and Eveready batteries, Schick, Wilkinson Sword and Edge shaving products, Playtex feminine hygiene and baby products, and...
, and continues to use the Playtex brand name on feminine hygiene
Feminine hygiene
Feminine hygiene is a general euphemism used to describe personal care products used by women during menstruation, vaginal discharge, and other bodily functions related to the vulva...
(tampons) and infant care products. Other brands not using the Playtex name include the Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic
Hawaiian Tropic
Hawaiian Tropic is a brand of suntan lotion sold around the world, but more widely available in the United States.The Company was founded by Ron Rice in 1969. It was the largest private manufacturer of sun care products in the United States until being acquired in May 2007 by Playtex Products, Inc...
sunscreens and Wet Ones disposable wipes. Including Playtex, these brands are now part of the Energizer Personal Care division which also includes the Wilkinson Sword
Wilkinson Sword
Wilkinson Sword is a brand name for companies that make gardening tools and razors. Wilkinson Sword's origins are in the manufacture of swords. The company was founded in London in 1772. The brand is currently owned by Energizer Holdings. Past product lines have included guns, bayonets, and other...
and Schick (razors)
Schick (razors)
Schick is a brand of safety razors by Wilkinson Sword, a subsidiary of Energizer Holdings. It was founded in 1926 by Jacob Schick as the Magazine Repeating Razor Company. In 1934, Schick introduced its highly successful single blade safety razor system, that stored ten blades in a steel injector...
brands.
External links
- Playtex official site
- Playtex fits – bra campaign site
- HanesBrands Inc.