The GANT Story
Over the years, GANT has been characterized by people who are both dreamers and doers, contributing to our heritage and our reputation. A seamless evolution, involving aspiration, ideas, a clear vision, and a tangible end-result of which we are endlessly proud.
Our Timeline
The Journey Begins
Bernard Gantmacher sails to New York City via The Netherlands, and starts his employment at a shirt factory. It is here that he meets Rebecca, who will become his wife.
The Start of Something New
Bernard co-founds the Par-Ex Shirt Company and marks his shirts with a ‘Diamond G’ stamp as an assurance of quality. Production is moved to New Haven, Connecticut.
GANT INC. is Born
Bernard’s sons Marty and Elliot launch the company, and ultimately change their own surnames to Gant.
Creative Tailoring
Several innovative features come into existence during this time, placing GANT at the forefront of their field. They are awarded the prize for innovation from Esquire, thanks to the invention of the button–tab collar.
Widening Horizons
GANT launches their first American Sportswear collection, having previously focused solely on shirts.
New Zip Code, Same Mission
The business is bought by three Swedish entrepreneurs, and later sold to Maus Frères, the Swiss family enterprise.
New Categories
GANT extends the clothing line to include Boys which is later followed by Baby, Woman, Girls, and Home.
70th Birthday
Celebrating 70 years of preppy American Sportswear.
The Aim
We aspire to be Employer of Choice within our industry.
Back then, 1914
A man named Bernard Gantmacher, a Ukrainian native, makes the long journey to Ellis Island to begin his new life. To finance his studies, Bernard takes a job at a shirt-collar factory, where his creativity is nurtured into ambition. From here, he moves to New Haven, CT, and starts a shirt making company which becomes the first to offer the Button-Down Shirt to a broader American market in 1949.
Later on, 1949
This year marks the birth of GANT, founded by Bernard and his two sons, Marty and Elliot. Casual button-down shirts are the basis of their success, while the quality of the product speaks for itself. They find popularity amongst the students of the East coast Universities, and their innovations, such as the locker loop, the boxpleat, and the back-collar button cement their status as the finest purveyor of the preppy look.
Now, 1970s to present
In the late ‘70s, a new chapter begins for GANT, as the company is bought by three Swedish entrepreneurs with an eye for a quality product. The move to Europe adds a sophisticated European flair to the classic designs, whilst helping GANT to become an internationally renowned brand, now with the added goal to make the world a more interesting and beautiful place through the passion for American sportswear.
In 2008 GANT was bought by the Swiss family enterprise Maus Frères, but remained headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.