SIC 2341 Women's, Misses', Children's, and Infants' Underwear and Nightwear
SIC 2341
This category includes establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing women's, misses', children's, and infants' underwear and nightwear from purchased woven or knit fabrics. Knitting mills primarily engaged in manufacturing underwear and nightwear are classified in SIC 2254: Knit Underwear and Nightwear Mills. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing women's and misses robes and dressing gowns are classified in SIC 2384: Robes and Dressing Gowns, and those manufacturing children's and infants' robes are classified in SIC 2369: Girls', Children's, and Infants' Outerwear, Not Elsewhere Classified. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing brassieres, girdles, and allied garments are classified in SIC 2342: Brassieres, Girdles, and Allied Garments.
315212
Women's and Girls' Cut and Sew Apparel Contractors
315211
Men's and Boys' Cut and Sew Apparel Contractors
315231
Women's and Girls' Cut and Sew Lingerie, Loungewear, and Nightwear Manufacturing
315221
Men's and Boys' Cut and Sew Underwear and Nightwear Manufacturing
315291
Infants' Cut and Sew Apparel Manufacturing
Intimate apparel had grown into an impressive $30 billion business by 2004, with U.S. companies holding a $12.4 billion share of the market. Worldwide, bras had 56 percent of sales in this category, followed by 32 percent for briefs. Boasting relatively low-priced luxury, lingerie is accessible to consumers of all economic levels. All but 16 percent of total lingerie was purchased by consumers in developed countries in the mid-2000s, but some industry analysts expected emerging markets to contribute to forecasted growth, for a projected industry value of $32 billion by 2010.
Comfort was king in the intimate apparel industry. New, more comfortable stretch-microfiber fabrics could be found in underwear and sleepwear, robes, and lounge wear. Lounge wear also became more dressed up and crossover wear became increasingly popular with manufacturers making clothing that consumers could sleep in, lounge in, or leave the house in. In mid-2004, growth in this category was still driven by fashion, and consumers felt comfortable spending relatively little for pricier, luxury lingerie items. The trend to casual dress in the United States also factored in to give the lounge wear and innerwear industry a boost.
Of the top ten innerwear brands in 2004, all had been in the top spots for years, although the exact order sometimes changed. Hanes Her Way was in the number one spot, and this brand alone earned nearly $2 billion wholesale for parent company Sara Lee Branded Apparel. Fruit of Loom was second, followed by Victoria's Secret, Playtex, Jockey, Joe Boxer, Vanity Fair, Maidenform, Bali, and Calvin Klein.
When tracking the density of establishments by their census region of concentration, the highest number of establishments were located in the Middle Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Pacific regions. When ranked by the number of establishments per state, as well as total employment level per state, New York led the way, followed by California, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.
The modern history of women's underwear produced for mass consumption more or less began in the 1830s to 1840s with the manufacture of ready-made undergarments. Stay stitchers and gorers using hand techniques were employed in factories or worked from home as "outworkers." Around the early 1860s, the widespread use of sewing machines pushed underwear output to unprecedented levels. Other complementary technologies, like the band knife (which enabled garment workers to slice through several layers of material at once) proved instrumental in reorganizing the factory floor along the lines of the "batch" system.
During the 1870s, underwear was available in attractively packaged boxes with decorative and typically colored labels. Large-scale advertising campaigns trumpeting the virtues of underwear became commonplace by the end of the 1870s. Well into the 1880s, the marketing themes became more explicit in an attempt to match the luxury and erotic appeal of the undergarments. Underwear could be purchased from large department stores or by mail order from companies like Sears, Roebuck and Co. of Chicago or the Great Universal Stores located across the United States.
Fashion historians refer to the period of 1890 through 1913 as the "Belle Epoque." It was characterized as a period of extravagance and conspicuous consumption in women's dress in general and in women's underwear in particular. Underwear was much lighter in appearance, feel, and weight and, compared to its lackluster mid-Victorian antecedents, more luxurious and glamorous in conception. New luxury underwear first became available in sets that included nightwear and were christened with the group name "lingerie," a term derived from the French word "linge," meaning linen. Earlier material mainstays such as cotton longcloth and flannel were replaced by cambrics, merino, and silks. The extravagance in tastes and materials continued to lead the underwear fashion charge until the economic slump of the 1930s, which ushered in the era of mass-produced...
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