Kaufman Footwear was a

Kitchener, Ontario ) , image_flag = Flag of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , image_seal = Seal of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_shield=Coat of arms of Kitchener, Canada.svg , image_blank_emblem = Logo of Kitchener, Ontario.svg , blank_emblem_type = ...

-based shoe company. It was known for its Sorel brand.

History

The Kaufman Rubber Company was founded by

Jacob Kaufman Jacob Kaufman (15 July 1847 – 20 April 1920) was a manufacturer and industrialist in Berlin, now Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. He built a large lumber operation and pioneered the manufacturing of rubber outerwear. Biography Kaufman was bor ...

and his son

Alvin Ratz Kaufman Alvin Ratz "A. R." Kaufman (February 11, 1885 – February 1, 1979) was a Canadian industrialist, philanthropist, birth control advocate and eugenicist from Kitchener, Ontario. In 1920 he became president of the Kaufman Rubber Company following ...

in 1908, in Berlin, Ontario - what is now

. It became Kaufman Footwear in 1964. A.R. Kaufman took over as president of the company in 1920, a position he held until 1964, when his son, William H. Kaufman, assumed the role. A. R. Kaufman was a leading Canadian

eugenicist Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...

who encouraged sterilization of his workers. When Kaufman Rubber laid off workers during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Kaufman's proposed solution to their financial woes was sterilization. Kaufman would later take credit for over 1000 male sterilizations performed at Kaufman factories between 1930 and 1969. Kaufman Rubber Co. brands included Foamtread slippers, introduced in 1953; Showertogs, an early use of PVC as a clothing material, in 1954; and its Sorel line of winter boots, which was later developed as a utility and fashion winter footwear brand. In 1961 Kaufman purchased L.H. Packard & Co. of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, followed by Prospect Shoes Ltd. of

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional count ...

in 1966. Footwear production for the company became centred in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. Kaufman also manufactured under the brand names "Oomphies" (women's casual and duty shoes), "Snowbelles" (slush-molded vinyl boots), "Feelings" (women's casual sandals), "The Real Thing" (women's footbed sandals), "Kingtreads" (safety footwear) and "Black Diamond" (industrial footwear and clothing). Kaufman Footwear declared bankruptcy in 2000 and the Sorel trademark was bought by

Columbia Sportswear The Columbia Sportswear Company is an American company that manufactures and distributes outerwear, sportswear, and footwear, as well as headgear, camping equipment, ski apparel, and outerwear accessories. It was founded in 1938 by Paul Lam ...

References

External links

University of Waterloo Libraries: History of Kaufman Footwear (+Sorel)
Clothing companies of Canada Defunct companies of Ontario Companies based in Kitchener, Ontario Defunct manufacturing companies of Canada Clothing companies established in 1907 Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2000 1907 establishments in Ontario 2000 disestablishments in Ontario Canadian companies established in 1907 History of Kitchener, Ontario History of manufacturing in Ontario Industrial history of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo {{Canada-company-stub