William Skinner and Sons

William Skinner & Sons, generally sold under the names Skinner's Satin, Skinner's Silk, and Skinner Fabrics, was an American textile manufacturer specializing in silk products, specifically woven satins with mills in Holyoke, main sales offices in New York, and a series of nationwide satellite offices in Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Rochester, and St. Louis.[2] Founded in 1848 by William Skinner as a partnership between himself and his brother-in-law at that time, the company was first established at a long-term location in Haydenville in 1854, as the Unquomonk Silk Mills. Following the Mill River Flood of 1874, Skinner relocated both his home and company to new facilities in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where the company would maintain its mills for the remainder of its existence. By the 20th century, Skinner & Sons had become the largest manufacturer of satins in the world, becoming one of the first to directly market to consumers in 1903, and operated out of the largest silk mill under one roof by 1912.[3][4] During the 1920s and 1930s the brand was popularized with its usage in Hollywood, with silk gowns made from its satins adorned by such stars as Joan Crawford and Bette Davis on the silver screen. The company would also work extensively with the US Armed Forces during the Second World War, developing improved silk and other textile parachutes.[5] Following a period of decline due in part to an increasingly competitive world market, the Skinner family and other shareholders sold the company for an undisclosed amount on January 26, 1961 to Indian Head Mills, which continued to operate the mills for converting rayon and other synthetics until the closure of the plant as a textile mill in 1963.[6][7] In the 1970s, the Finished Goods Division of Indian Head was acquired by Springs Global, which used the Skinner name, marketing, and product line until the late 1980s; it has been defunct since that time.[8]

William Skinner and Sons
FormerlyUnquomonk Silk Mills
TypePrivate
IndustryTextiles; raw silk processing and satins
Founded1848 (1848) in Haydenville, Massachusetts
DefunctFebruary 1961
(purchased by Indian Head Mills)
May 1963 (mills closed)
HeadquartersMain Sales Office:[1]
45 East 17th Street
New York, New York

Mills:
Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
William Skinner
(Founder)

See also

References
  1. "1935 Ad Clothing Lining William Skinner Dogs Breed Sons". Period Papers. Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  2. "William Skinner & Sons Letter". Columbia University Libraries Digital Collections. Columbia University. March 11, 1920. Archived from the original on December 29, 2018.
  3. "William Skinner & Sons Complete Largest Single Silk Mill in the Country". The American Silk Journal. Vol. XXXI. New York: Clifford & Lawton. March 1912. p. 40.
  4. "The Largest Silk Mill in the World; The Story of Skinner Silks and Satins". Silk. Vol. 5, no. 6. New York: Silk Publishing Company. May 1912. pp. 62–64.
  5. Zasky, Jason (February 13, 2013). "The Mill River Flood, Disaster". Failure Magazine. Archived from the original on March 13, 2019.
  6. "Acquires Skinner Mill". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. February 17, 1961. p. 31.
  7. "200 Employees Affected If Skinner Mill Closes; Only Hope to Keep 115-Year-Old Plant Operating is to Sell Business or Building". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. April 6, 1963. p. 42.
  8. "The Indian Head Connection". The Fabrics.net Blog. June 28, 2011. 1970 Spring Mills (now Springs Industries) buys the Finished Goods Division of Indian Head, Inc....Transaction includes coveted Skinner trademark and rights to a revolutionary new synthetic to be called and trademarked Ultrasuede...1970s – mid- 1980s Springs continues to develop specialized and innovative Skinner fabrics in the same fastidious Skinner tradition and utilizing marketing plans which parallel those that were projected many, many years ago by the Skinner family....Skinner couture fabric is featured on a 1985 Vogue magazine cover using a Bill Blass design. Skinner Crepe Radiance (the first completely washable crepe) creates a sensation at its initial sales demonstration in the 1970s for buyers, recalls one marketing assistant...Sometime in the latter 1980s, the Skinner name is dropped and lines are folded into Springs lines. The Skinner trademark has not been picked up to date by any other business, according to a Springs spokesperson.

Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Skinner and Sons.
External video
video icon Sarah Kilborne discusses her book American Phoenix on William Skinner and his business, C-SPAN's BookTV


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