VF Corporation

VF Corporation is one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear, and equipment companies, with a business history that dates back to 1899. The company was originally founded as the Reading Glove and Mitten Manufacturing Company in Reading, Pennsylvania, by John Barbey, a German immigrant with a background in the textile trade. The company expanded into silk hosiery in 1913 and rebranded its products under the name Vanity Fair, which eventually lent itself to the corporate identity: Vanity Fair Mills, as the name became in 1919.

Vanity Fair Mills went public in 1951 and continued its growth as an American intimate apparel brand. A pivotal moment came in 1969 when the company acquired the Lee Company, a prominent jeans manufacturer, and formally renamed itself VF Corporation. This strategic acquisition signaled VF’s ambition to grow beyond intimate apparel and into a broader lifestyle and workwear brand portfolio.

Over the following decades, VF Corporation assembled a portfolio of some of the most iconic apparel brands in the world, including The North Face, Vans, Timberland, Wrangler, and Lee, among others. Each acquisition expanded the company’s reach into outdoor, sport, workwear, and denim categories. In 1998, VF moved its headquarters from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, to Greensboro, North Carolina, to be closer to its expanding operations in the Southeast.

VF Corporation operates as a publicly traded company and sources millions of apparel and footwear units each year, distributing products across more than 170 countries through owned stores, wholesale partners, and direct-to-consumer digital channels. The company maintains a strong focus on sustainability and responsible sourcing, positioning itself as a global leader at the intersection of fashion, performance, and environmental stewardship.