Kayser Roth

What Kayser Roth does

Kayser-Roth Corporation is a privately held U.S. legwear and apparel manufacturer founded in 1880 and headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina. The company operates an integrated manufacturing and distribution platform across two North Carolina facilities totaling 1.2 million sq ft — a 650,000 sq ft distribution center in Lumberton and a 550,000 sq ft production and distribution campus in Burlington that supports product creation, manufacturing, and omnichannel fulfillment including unit pick (PTL), e-commerce fulfillment, and case pick. The firm maintains a global sourcing network spanning 9 countries and an additional sales office and showroom at 1441 Broadway in New York's fashion district.

The company runs a multi-brand portfolio across three structural layers: owned brands (HUE, focused on colorful legwear, sleepwear, leggings, and bottoms since the early 1970s; No Nonsense, a basics brand founded in 1976 known for the original control-top pantyhose), licensed brands (Under Armour for socks and legwear), and partner/OEM brands (Smartwool, FITS, Members Mark for Sam's Club, OV). Revenue is generated primarily through wholesale distribution to department stores (Dillard's, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Belk), specialty retailers, outdoor channels, mass merchants (Target), warehouse clubs (Costco, Sam's Club), food and drug (Publix), and e-commerce (Amazon), supplemented by direct-to-consumer sales through owned e-commerce platforms Hue.com and NN.com. Pricing is not publicly disclosed.

Leadership consists of CEO Gianni Orsini, President Julia Townsend, and CFO Maureen Elrod. The company holds CCPA-compliant privacy practices and operates an actively maintained corporate website (copyright through 2026). Its stated value proposition centers on integrated U.S. manufacturing scale, multi-brand portfolio breadth, and quality and speed-to-market across wholesale and DTC channels.

Name

Kayser Roth

Legal name

Kayser-Roth Corporation

Website

https://kayser-roth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Kayser-Roth Corporation is a privately held U.S. legwear and apparel manufacturer founded in 1880. It produces owned brands HUE and No Nonsense plus licensed and partner brands including Smartwool, Under Armour, FITS, and Members Mark, distributing through major U.S. retail channels and owned DTC e-commerce sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legwear and Apparel Manufacturing

NAICS

Footwear Manufacturing (316210)

SIC

Knit Outerwear Mills (2253)

akta.pro primary industry

Outerwear & Cold-Weather Apparel Manufacturers (CRAAAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sleepwear & Loungewear Cut & Sew (IMAOAEAI)

Keywords

• Legwear manufacturing
• Apparel distribution
• Hosiery products
• Sock manufacturing
• Wholesale apparel

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wholesale/B2B Sales: Revenue generated through wholesale distribution to department stores, specialty retailers, outdoor channels, mass merchants, food/drug stores, and club retailers.
2. Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce: Revenue from direct online sales through owned e-commerce platforms Hue.com and NN.com.
3. Licensing and Manufacturing Partnerships: Revenue from producing and distributing licensed partner brands including Smartwool, Under Armour, FITS, Members Mark, and OV under licensing agreements with brand trademark holders.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kayser-Roth Corporation manufactures and distributes legwear and apparel products, including socks, sheer hosiery, tights, leggings, sleepwear, and loungewear, under owned brands (HUE, No Nonsense), licensed brands (Under Armour), and partner brands (Smartwool, FITS, Members Mark, OV). The company operates an integrated U.S. manufacturing and distribution platform with 1.2 million sq ft of facilities and a sourcing network across 9 countries.

Product overview

Kayser-Roth operates as a multi-brand legwear and apparel organization with a portfolio of owned brands (HUE and No Nonsense), licensed brands (Under Armour), and partner brands (Smartwool, FITS, Members Mark, OV). The company manufactures and distributes socks, tights, sheer hosiery, leggings, bottoms, sleepwear, and loungewear across department stores, specialty retailers, outdoor retailers, mass merchants, food, drug, and club channels. U.S. manufacturing and distribution operations include facilities in Lumberton (650,000 sq ft distribution) and Burlington (550,000 sq ft integrated production and distribution), with sourcing from partners across 9 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HUE: A brand focused on legwear, sleepwear, leggings, and bottoms, known for vibrant designs and colorful legwear. Founded approximately 50 years ago.
• No Nonsense

Products and services

• HUE Founded approximately 50 years ago, HUE is a foundational owned brand dedicated to colorful legwear, sleepwear, leggings, and bottoms, with nearly 50 years of expertise in creating impactful, expressive designs. Sold through Hue.com and major retail partners.
• No Nonsense Basics-owned brand founded in 1976, known for the original control-top pantyhose. Offers everyday essentials including socks, hosiery, and basics designed for durability and everyday wear. Sold through NN.com and major retail partners.
• Smartwool Merino wool performance apparel and socks brand, produced and distributed under licensing partnership with Kayser-Roth, leveraging its manufacturing and distribution capabilities while Smartwool maintains brand ownership and standards.
• FITS Sock brand featuring athletic and everyday wear styles, manufactured and distributed through Kayser-Roth's licensed production and distribution capabilities.
• Under Armour Legwear Athletic performance apparel brand licensed for sock and legwear products, manufactured and distributed by Kayser-Roth under licensing agreement.
• Members Mark Club channel private label partnership for basic apparel products, distributed through warehouse club retail environments (Sam's Club). Kayser-Roth produces products under the Members Mark brand.
• OV (OV+) Brand partnership for legwear products, produced and distributed by Kayser-Roth under licensing arrangement.

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SmartwoolcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensed manufacturing and distribution partnership. Kayser-Roth produces Smartwool branded products leveraging manufacturing and distribution capabilities while Smartwool maintains brand ownership and standards.
• Under ArmourcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensed manufacturing partnership for legwear products. Kayser-Roth produces Under Armour branded legwear leveraging manufacturing expertise while Under Armour maintains brand ownership.
• FITScoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensed manufacturing and distribution partnership for FITS branded products. Kayser-Roth leverages manufacturing and distribution capabilities.
• Members MarkminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPrivate label partnership for Members Mark brand (Sam's Club private label). Kayser-Roth produces products under the Members Mark brand for Sam's Club.
• OV (OV Logo)minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerLicensed manufacturing and distribution partnership for OV branded products.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Under Armour: Global athletic apparel brand whose legwear and sock products Kayser-Roth manufactures under license. Comparable as a brand owner in active legwear/socks and as a key licensing partner for Kayser-Roth.
• Adidas: Global athletic apparel and socks brand competing in performance legwear alongside Under Armour/Smartwool. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose licensed-style partnerships could rival Kayser-Roth's manufacturing engagements.
• PVH Corp: Owner of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger with broad apparel/legwear reach into department stores and DTC. Comparable multi-brand apparel platform serving overlapping department store customers.

Direct peers

• Gildan Activewear: Vertically integrated basics and activewear manufacturer with sock and legwear production serving mass and club channels. Comparable in basic apparel scale, private-label and licensed programs, and cost-driven manufacturing approach.
• Fruit of the Loom (Berkshire Hathaway): Major basics apparel manufacturer producing socks, underwear, and activewear for mass and club channels. Comparable multi-brand, high-volume U.S./global manufacturing model and overlap in mass/club retail customers (Costco, Sam's Club).
• Hanesbrands: Large public apparel manufacturer with leading positions in innerwear, hosiery (L'eggs, Hanes, Sheer Energy), socks, and activewear. Directly comparable in legwear/hosiery manufacturing, U.S. production footprint, and multi-brand wholesale-to-retail strategy.
• Renfro Corporation: U.S.-based hosiery and sock manufacturer producing for branded partners and private-label programs. Highly comparable in legwear manufacturing capabilities, licensed brand model, and U.S. production footprint.

Emerging players

• Spanx: Direct-to-consumer shapewear and legwear brand competing in the same end-consumer category as HUE/No Nonsense. Comparable in legwear/leggings category focus but differs via DTC-led growth model and lack of licensed-brand manufacturing.
• Tahari ASL: Apparel brand with presence in sleepwear and legwear sold through department and specialty retail. Comparable overlap in HUE-style sleepwear/legwear category and department store customer base.
• Bombas: Digitally-native sock brand with strong consumer brand equity and wholesale expansion. Comparable in basic socks category where Kayser-Roth's No Nonsense competes, representing a channel-disruption risk.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kayser-roth-corporation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kayser Roth