History of the Hickey Freeman Brand?

Answer 1

Hickey Freeman is one of the oldest lines of high end suits for men and boys that is still in operation today. The original Hickey Freeman fashion house began introducing its designs to the market in 1899 when former fashion bookkeeper Jeremiah G. Hickey decided to branch out on his own and launch his own line of suits. A lot has changed at Hickey Freeman since those early days, but the Hickey Freeman suits have managed to maintain an authentic sense of classic sense over the years. Here is an inside look at the history of the Hickey Freeman name and how it has developed from a family owned operation to a world wide brand of menswear that is now owned by an Indian conglomerate.

Jeremiah G. Hickey got his start in the fashion industry in his late 20s when he became employed as an accountant for the prestigious menswear manufacturer Wile, Brickner & Wile. At the time, Wile, Brickner & Wile had established itself as the leading manufacturer of mass market menswear in the northeastern region of the United States. From his simple accountant desk, Hickey began to learn how the fashion business operated and started to realized that he had the ability to think outside of the box and take advantage of opportunities that Wile, Brikner & Wile.

Hickey shared some of his thoughts with other employees at the company like Thomas Mahon and George A. Brayer, as well as a contractor who worked with Wile, Brikner & Wile by the name of Jacob L. Freeman. Freeman was a close personal friend of Hickey’s, and they soon joined Mahon and Brayer to split out on their own and start their own men’s clothing business. Hickey provided that largest capital investment while Freeman, Mahon and Brayer used their specialized knowledge of different aspects of the business to help form a successful company.

In its early days, Hickey Freeman manufactured a wide range of men’s clothing, but a new partner by the name of Emmett Baum influenced the business to specialize in designing and manufacturing high end men’s suits in 1908. In the decades to come, Hickey Freeman emerged to become one of the leading names in classic men’s wear. The business was purchased by the Hartmax Corporation in 1964 and sold to the Indian textile conglomerate SKNL in 2009.