The Arrow shirt company was founded by William H.Titus and his partner in Chicago Illinois and in the late 1800s merged with Cluett Peabody. Both companies had about $20,000,000.00 in annual sales at the time of the merger. Titus and his partner later became co-chairman of the company. Titus remained on the board of directors until the time of his death even though his residence was in Glencoe, Illinois. In 1851, Maullin & Blanchard, manufacturers of collars, began operations at 282 River Street in Troy, NY. This company was succeeded in 1856 by Maullin & Bigelow, and in 1861 by Maullin, Bigelow, & Co., when Mr. George B. Cluett, a clerk in the company since 1854, became a partner. Upon the dissolution of the partnership in 1862, Joseph Maullin and George B. Cluett formed the firm Maullin & Cluett. On the death of Mr. Maullin in 1863, the firm Geo. B. Cluett, Bros., & Co. was formed. In 1891, Geo. B. Cluett, Bros., & Co merged with Coon & Co., also of Troy, NY, to form Cluett, Coon & Co., bringing Frederick F. Peabody into the firm. The Cluett, Coon & Co soon became the Cluett, Peabody & Co. in 1899. Prior to 1919, the principal business for Cluett, Peabody & Co. was manufacturing men's shirt collars. Beginning in the 1920s the demand for collar-attached shirts grew considerably, while the detached collar business experienced a decline. In 1929 Cluett, Peabody & Co. established a national menswear business under the Arrow brand name. The "Arrow" name gradually grew into a product line that included shirts, collars, handkerchiefs, cravats, pajamas, and underwear for men and boys. By 1935 Cluett Peabody operated eleven plants, mostly in the Northeast, including a plant at 123 First Street in Leominster, MA. In 1945 sales for Cluett Peabody were $31.3 million, and by 1955 sales had nearly tripled, to $87.4 million. At their heyday, the owned plants numbered 13 with an additional two in a wholly owned subsidiary and the weekly production approximated 67,700 dozen. In addition in the mid 70's the company arranged production from contractors of an additional wkly 31,000 dz. for a total 98,700 dozen. At this time additional shirt production lines were being contracted from Korea. Phillip holt, former production analyst 2020 Cluett, Peabody & Co. was acquired by WestPoint Pepperell, Inc in 1985. Bidermann Industries purchased Cluett, Peabody & Co. from WestPoint Pepperell in 1990. Cluett American Group bought the company in 1998. In 2004, Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation acquired the Arrow brand and the related licensing business from Cluett American Group for approximately $70 million. The remaining elements of the Cluett American Group now operate as Gold Toe Brands. GTB Holding Corp still holds the trademark licensing rights to the Sanforization process of pre-shrinking fabric, named for its inventor, Sanford L. Cluett, who developed the process for Cluett, Peabody & Co, which he joined in 1919.
