Stitched Together: A History of the Norwich Knitting Co. and Walt Disney

Description

“The Norwich Knitting Company was a textile juggernaut. U.S. government contracts during World War I allowed the knitting mill to expand rapidly, becoming an industry leader in the newly organized city of Norwich.International trade kept the company afloat during an industry-wide downturn in the market. The adoption of a new rayon material—one of the first in the industry to introduce the semi-synthetic fiber—caught on like a sensation. The elite athletes of the day were wearing its trademarked Champknit shirts. And a profit-sharing plan was beloved by employees.

What could upend the company? The Great Depression.

The Norwich Knitting Company employed or supported more than one-third of Norwich’s population in 1930. The company founder and president desperately needed to find a new source of revenue for his 500 employees and their supported families. A true entrepreneur, Fred O’Hara contacted a California fixture in animated shorts, inquiring about a license deal for his company. This book tells how Fred and company spun yarn into gold”

-Christian L. Vischi