The Frye Company

The Frye Company
Industry Leather Goods
Founded 1863
Founder John A. Frye
Headquarters New York, USA
Products shoes, boots, bags
Parent Global Brands Group
Website www.thefryecompany.com

The Frye Company is an American boot manufacturer that, by its own accounts, is the oldest continuously operated shoe company in the United States.

The Frye Company logo

In 1863, John A. Frye opened the doors to the very first Frye shop on Elm Street in Marlboro, Massachusetts.

In the 1890s, Marlboro manufactured more shoes than any other city in the U.S. During that time, and Frye was one of the largest and most successful footwear companies in the entire country.

During the 1960s Frye made custom boots for a number of well-known people including Jackie Kennedy, Bing Crosby, Jerry Lewis, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Ann-Margret, Walt Frazier, Laurel & Hardy, Candice Bergen, Liza Minnelli, Carole King, Gene Autry, and President Nixon.

The 1960s also saw the birth of the Frye Harness Boot, inspired by Union cavalry soldiers in the Civil War.

In 1998, Frye was acquired by Jimlar, a footwear company that produced Coach shoes under license.[1] In 2010, Jimlar was acquired by Li & Fung.[2] Li & Fung spun off its brands management as Global Brands Group in 2014.[3]

Frye has moved most of their production to Mexico and China.

Stores

The Frye Company opened its first retail store in New York City’s SoHo district in 2011. In 2013, Frye added three additional stores in Boston, Georgetown, and Chicago.

Frye continues to expand its retail footprint in 2015 with the opening of four more stores at Ponce City Market in Atlanta; Roosevelt Field in Long Island, New York; NorthPark Center in Dallas; and Tysons Corner in Fairfax County, Virginia.

References

  1. ↑ Binkley, Christina (2007-06-22). "The Boots That Kicked Off an Era Are Back". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  2. ↑ Henning, Amanda Kaiser,Kristen (2010-08-12). "Li & Fung, Jimlar Deal Lauded". Footwear News. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  3. ↑ Chan, Vinicy (2014-07-09). "Global Brands Begins Trading After Li & Fung Spinoff". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2016-11-25.


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