Made in America
heart of the country
Made in America
Wisconsin’s Wigwam Mills has been knitting wool socks for more than a century.
A
fter the Sheboygan Knitting Co. burned down in 1904, former employee Herbert Chesebro joined forces with a few coworkers to launch their own sock business—resur recting the defunct Wisconsin manufacturer’s Wigwam brand as part of their newly formed Hand Knit Hosiery Company. Here’s what happened next:
1924 To increase sales during the summer, Chesebro’s firm debuts wool swimsuits.
1944–1945 During World War II, the company churns out socks for the military. 1957 Hand Knit Hosiery adopts the name Wigwam Mills, after its oldest and most popular collection.
1994 Wigwam becomes the official sock of the Ironman World Championship triathlon.
Wigwam’s cable knee-high socks, $12; wigwam.com for stores
2011 Still located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Wigwam Mills is now run by the founder’s grandson Robert Chesebro Jr.
recommended reading
The Secret Lives of Books
While working at his family’s used bookstore in Oneonta, New York, Michael Popek has discovered all kinds of placeholders left inside worn volumes: a 1904 costume-ball invitation, photos of Mount Pelée’s aftermath, a decades-old do not disturb hotel sign. In Forgotten Bookmarks ($18.95; Perigee), Popek shows off 150-plus of his most fascinating finds. “I never know what I’m going to discover,” he says, “and the treasure hunt is my favorite part of this job.”
18 . c ou ntry livi ng.co m . d ece mb e r/ja nua ry 20 12
photographs by (from top) seth smoot, styling by Stephanie hanes; philip friedman/studio d
1940 Fashion-forward anklets from the Wigwam line grace the cover of Vogue.
Made in America
Wisconsin’s Wigwam Mills has been knitting wool socks for more than a century.
A
fter the Sheboygan Knitting Co. burned down in 1904, former employee Herbert Chesebro joined forces with a few coworkers to launch their own sock business—resur recting the defunct Wisconsin manufacturer’s Wigwam brand as part of their newly formed Hand Knit Hosiery Company. Here’s what happened next:
1924 To increase sales during the summer, Chesebro’s firm debuts wool swimsuits.
1944–1945 During World War II, the company churns out socks for the military. 1957 Hand Knit Hosiery adopts the name Wigwam Mills, after its oldest and most popular collection.
1994 Wigwam becomes the official sock of the Ironman World Championship triathlon.
Wigwam’s cable knee-high socks, $12; wigwam.com for stores
2011 Still located in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Wigwam Mills is now run by the founder’s grandson Robert Chesebro Jr.
recommended reading
The Secret Lives of Books
While working at his family’s used bookstore in Oneonta, New York, Michael Popek has discovered all kinds of placeholders left inside worn volumes: a 1904 costume-ball invitation, photos of Mount Pelée’s aftermath, a decades-old do not disturb hotel sign. In Forgotten Bookmarks ($18.95; Perigee), Popek shows off 150-plus of his most fascinating finds. “I never know what I’m going to discover,” he says, “and the treasure hunt is my favorite part of this job.”
18 . c ou ntry livi ng.co m . d ece mb e r/ja nua ry 20 12
photographs by (from top) seth smoot, styling by Stephanie hanes; philip friedman/studio d
1940 Fashion-forward anklets from the Wigwam line grace the cover of Vogue.
