SIC 2381 Dress and Work Gloves, Except Knit and All-Leather

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 2381

This industry includes establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing dress, semi-dress, and work gloves and mittens from purchased woven or knit fabrics, or from these materials combined with leather or plastics. Knitting mills primarily engaged in manufacturing gloves and mittens are classified in SIC 2259: Knitting Mills, Not Elsewhere Classified; establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing leather gloves are classified in SIC 3151: Leather Gloves and Mittens; those manufacturing sporting and athletic gloves are classified in SIC 3949: Sporting and Athletic Goods, Not Elsewhere Classified; and those manufacturing safety gloves are classified in SIC 3842: Orthopedic, Prosthetic, and Surgical Appliances and Supplies.

NAICS CODE(S)

315992

Glove and Mitten Manufacturing

Glove manufacturers produce gloves for a variety of purposes, ranging from the functional to the purely ornamental. Because of their utility in work, industry, fashion, and casual apparel, gloves have been a popular accessory for men, women, and children for centuries.

Gloves have been used since the fourteenth century B.C. Linen gloves were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamen. These accessories have served many purposes for both men and women throughout history and once were among the costliest items of clothing. In 1834 Xavier Jouvin, a French glove maker, invented a press that could cut six gloves simultaneously, bringing down the cost and increasing their popularity and availability. About 100 years later, the Singer Co. introduced the Pique sewing machine, designed with a thin post that held the glove for sewing the fingers.

During the first half of the twentieth century, Gloversville, New York, and the surrounding Fulton County region was considered the glove capital of the world, with around 300 manufacturing companies producing 90 percent of the world's leather gloves. Shortly thereafter, the glove industry had to move production offshore to become more competitive due to rising labor costs. This move began in the 1950s and continued into the 1990s, to places like the Philippines, India, and eventually China. During 1999 glove companies began targeting niche markets, such as specialty gloves for the government, using U.S. production in Gloversville.

The two major types of gloves include work or industrial gloves and casual or dress gloves. Casual and dress gloves are different from work gloves in many...