International Textile Group (ITG) is a diversified

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

maker based in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

. The company was founded in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...

Wilbur Ross Wilbur Louis Ross Jr. (born November 28, 1937) is an American businessman who served as the 39th United States Secretary of Commerce from 2017 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Ross was previously chairman and chief executive officer ...

and was sold to

Platinum Equity Platinum Equity, LLC is an American private equity investment firm founded by Tom Gores in 1995. The firm focuses on leveraged buyout investments of established companies in the U.S., Europe and Asia. History Platinum Equity was founded in 199 ...

in 2016, leading to its move from Greensboro to Beverly Hills.

Current operations

ITG's operating companies include: * Cone Denim * Burlington WorldWide Apparel * Burlington House Interior Fabrics * Carlisle Finishing * Automotive Safety Textiles

Locations

ITG continues to manufacture fabrics in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, but it has also developed fabric mills in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

and

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

. Its best-known fabrics are

denim Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This twill weaving produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. While a denim predecessor known as dungaree has been pr ...

and specialty nylon fabrics used in automotive airbag systems. Denim fabrics are made in the United States, in

Greensboro, NC Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

, in

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and are also now being

made in China Made in China, Product of China or sometimes Made in PRC is a country of origin label affixed to products manufactured in the People's Republic of China. The ''Made in China'' label is the most recognizable label in the world today, due t ...

and Nicaragua in new company plants. In the summer of 2009, ITG reported that it had closed the Nicaragua mill- which it had just opened- because its main customer moved its cut and sew operation out of Nicaragua. This makes the venture to build the plant almost a total loss to ITG. Many ready-to-wear brands purchase fabrics from Cone Denim, including

Levi's Levi Strauss & Co. () is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's () brand of denim jeans. It was founded in May 1853 when German-Jewish immigrant Levi Strauss moved from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to San Francisco, California, to o ...

, Wrangler and

American Eagle Outfitters American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., also known as American Eagle, is an American lifestyle, clothing, and accessories retailer headquartered at SouthSide Works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1977 by brothers Jerry and Mark Silverma ...

. The company is also known for its

worsted wool Worsted ( or ) is a high-quality type of wool yarn, the fabric made from this yarn, and a yarn weight category. The name derives from Worstead, a village in the English county of Norfolk. That village, together with North Walsham and Aylsham, f ...

fabrics, which are made in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and in Mexico. The company has developed a source for wool fabrics in India by working with OCM India Limited, a mill in

Amritsar Amritsar (), historically also known as Rāmdāspur and colloquially as ''Ambarsar'', is the second largest city in the Indian state of Punjab, after Ludhiana. It is a major cultural, transportation and economic centre, located in the Majha r ...

, India, which is also owned by funds controlled by W.L. Ross & Co. Customers of the wool fabrics include many well-known makers of wool garments (such as Jos A. Bank and others). The company also produces some technical fabrics, such as fabrics made of

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...

and

nylon Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides ( repeating units linked by amide links).The polyamides may be aliphatic or semi-aromatic. Nylon is a silk-like thermoplastic, generally made from petro ...

. These fabrics have a variety of uses, such as in uniforms, in performance apparel items and for safety services.

Brands

The ITG Automotive Group manufactures fabrics and cushion for airbags, which are sold to automotive safety groups, such as Autoliv, TRW and Delphi. Many automobiles throughout the world contain ITG's safety fabrics. The fabrics and cushion are manufactured in various locations (U.S., Germany, Poland, China, Mexico). The company owns the brand BURLINGTON, which is licensed to a company in Germany for a European menswear brand.

History

The company was founded by

WL Ross & Co WL Ross & Co is a private equity company founded and based in New York by Wilbur Ross in April 2000. The company focuses on investments in financially distressed companies with undervalued stocks, in the $100 to $200 million range, usually in the ...

acquired the assets of the former

Burlington Industries Burlington Industries, formerly Burlington Mills, is a diversified American fabric maker based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded by J. Spencer Love in Burlington, North Carolina in 1923, the company has operations in the United States, Mexico ...

out of

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

in late 2003, and the assets of the former

Cone Mills Corporation Cone Mills Corporation was a twentieth-century manufacturer of cotton fabrics that included corduroy, flannel, and denim. The company headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina and had its factory mills in parts of North and South Carolina. Th ...

in 2004. In 2006, ITG merged with Safety Components International, Inc., a

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

company that manufactures

fabrics that are used in automotive

airbags An airbag is a vehicle occupant-restraint system using a bag designed to inflate extremely quickly, then quickly deflate during a collision. It consists of the airbag cushion, a flexible fabric bag, an inflation module, and an impact sensor. T ...

, that was also controlled by

. In January 2007, ITG announced that it was selling it mattress fabric product line to Culp, Inc., another U.S. textile company that is based in High Point, NC. Also during 2007, the Company has opened a mill in China that will develop apparel and interior fabrics and the Company is developing a Vietnam venture that will supply apparel fabrics and garments. On April 1, 2007, BST Safety Textiles came into the ITG family of business. By adding BST Safety Textiles ITG's business in automotive components has now grown significantly. However, in the summer of 2009, ITG's air bag unit filed bankruptcy and was taken over by secured creditors. In December 2006, Wilbur Ross completed the purchase of BST Safety Textiles GmbH (BST), previously known as Berger Safety Textiles, of Maulburg, Germany. BST is a producer of flat fabric used in manufacturing automobile airbags, one piece woven (known as OPW) airbags, and narrow fabric used in automobile seatbelts and all types of industrial strapping applications. BST currently operates locations in southern Germany, Poland, and the US in Virginia. BST employs over 1200 persons worldwide. Recently, the company sold certain trademark rights to the BURLINGTON brand in Europe to FALKE, a European high-fashion brand. The company was sold to

private equity In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a ty ...

firm

in 2016, and later moved its headquarters to its parent company's home city of Beverly Hills. The White Oak

mill ceased operations on December 31, 2017.International Textile Group Ceases Operations at Cone Denim White Oak Facility: The White Oak mill will cease operations effective Dec. 31, marking the end of an era.
Tracey Greenstein, WWD, October 19, 2017

References

{{Reflist

External links

Hoover's Overview
retrieved August 7, 2006.
Official Website
Companies established in 2003 Textile companies of the United States Manufacturing companies based in North Carolina Companies based in Beverly Hills, California 2016 mergers and acquisitions