Did you know that the first branded apparel label is from the little state of Rhode Island? The first apparel label was produced by a predecessor of a company that is still very well known today: Fruit of the Loom.
How Apparel Labeling Began…
B.B. & R. Knight Brothers textile company and Union Underwear Company were the predecessors of a famous company that would eventually come known as Fruit of the Loom. The Knight brothers, Robert and Benjamin, established their company in Pontiac, Rhode Island. Their quality broadcloth was considered to be the best of its kind at the time. In 1851, the Knight brothers trademarked their cloth as “Fruit of the Loom.”
Rufus Skeel, a friend of Robert Knight, sold the Knight Brother’s 
cloth commercially in his dry goods store. Skeel’s daughter was an artist who would paint images of apples and then apply them to the cloth. The cloth that had the apples on them became popular and people began associating the apples and cloth with the Fruit of the Loom name. Mr. Knight believed that the apples were the perfect symbol for the Fruit of the Loom brand name. This combination of events helped to make Fruit of the Loom the first branded apparel product in the United States.
When the United States opened an official trademark office in 1871 the Fruit of the Loom trademark received the United States 418th patent.
Where the Apparel Labels Were Made…
T
he original textile mill that B.B. Knight owned is called Lippitt Mill. Lippitt Mill is located just down the road from our QuickLabel Systems headquarters here in West Warwick, Rhode Island. By the time of Robert Knight’s death in 1912, the New York Times listed him as the largest cotton manufacturer in the world.
What is Unique About The Fruit of the Loom Label…
It is amazing that after all of these years the Fruit of the Loom label is still intact. The fruity logo has become one of America’s most well known brands. It is pretty awesome to see the power of a creative, unique label and how it can withstand the test of time.
Printing Apparel Tags and Labels Today…
Today every article of clothing is sold with a 
brand label. QuickLabel offers a few different solutions to print labels for your products. We offer preprinted flexographic apparel hang tags and price tags printed at label factories in Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Quebec. We also make label printers for 2-color apparel label printing. The Plexo! two-color label printer can help you print 2-color apparel care labels, brand hang tags, price tags, and more. To learn more about the Plexo! 2-color apparel label and tag printer, swing by our website.
