Profile

VF Corporation is an American worldwide apparel and footwear company founded in 1899 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The company's more than 30 brands are organized into three categories: Outdoor, Active and Work. The company controls 55% of the U.S. backpack market with the JanSport, Eastpak, Timberland, and North Face brands. The company was established first as Reading Glove and Mitten Manufacturing Company in Pennsylvania in October 1899 by John Barbey and a group of investors. The company started with $11,000 in a 320-square-foot factory that was leased for $60/month. It was incorporated in Pennsylvania on December 4 of that same year. The manufacture of undergarments began in 1919, accompanied by a name change to Vanity Fair Mills. Shares were initially sold to the public in 1951.[citation needed]