Produced by Spot Film Productions, BOTANY CLOTHES THE NATION tells the story of New Jersey’s Botany Mills, whose tagline was “From raw wool to consumer”. This industrial tells the story of Botany’s wool manufacturing process, starting with the washing of the raw wool, to carding, etc. Botany was especially famous for the quality of its fabric and its colorful neckties, which are seen at the 13:54 mark. The film also shows lanolin lotions, lipstick, soap and beauty products made from wool.
The famous Botany 500 clothing line took its name from the Botany Mills,, which manufactured wool exclusively for suits made in Philadelphia by the Daroff Bros. clothing company. Botany 500 was a brand name owned by the Botany 500 Group of New York. Their men’s suits and sport coats were manufactured in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by H. Daroff and Sons. Their plant was located at 23rd and Walnut Streets during the 1940s and ’50s and beyond. Until 1945, it was located in the Pitcairn Building at 1027 Arch Street. They also produced another suit called worsted tex that had the image of the head of a German Shepherd dog on its label. The office, on the first floor of the plant, had a stuffed German shepherd standing guard. The seventh and topmost floor contained the top coat design department and a fabric cutting floor.
Botany Mills was a Passaic, New Jersey based manufacturer of textiles, which was organized in 1887. It merged with Continental Textile Co., Ltd., in January 1927. Botany Mills continued to have a controlling interest in both Botany Worsted Mills and Garfield Worsted Mills. The company was a key target of the 1926 Passaic Textile Strike, which lasted almost a year. The business is significant for having survived the Great Depression while continuing to be a leader in its field in the decades afterward.
Botany Mills’ stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange reached a low for 1929 in late September, a month prior to the 1929 Stock Market Crash. The company’s net loss of $2,768,904 for 1929, exceeded the 1928 deficit which totaled $1,461,783.
In June 1932 Botany Mills formed an independent bondholders protective committee which called for immediate deposits of bonds. The firm had descended into receivership after defaulting on the payment of interest on its bonds on April 1, 1932. The Empire Trust Company served as depositary for the committee.
In October 1948 Botany Mills announced that it would absorb higher raw material and labor costs without raising prices on goods. They maintained prices on wool shirts and pants as well as on their swimming trunk line. However their gabardine boxer shorts increased in price from $6.95 to $7.50 retail.
In August 1954, Daroff and Sons, a Philadelphia clothing manufacturer which had produced worsteds for Botany under contract for several years, purchased a controlling interest in Botany Mills.
In late 1955, Botany left the textile business and transferred its Passaic plant to an affiliate company, Clarence Worsted. Botany transitioned into real estate, product licensing and cosmetics.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
