The Izod clothing company began as a synergistic relationship between a retiring tailor with a small exclusive practice and a fashion magnate from New York City. Vin Draddy first walked into Jack Izod's store in the early 20th century in London, England. Draddy, who had manufactured many fine women's pieces in his day, was impressed by the craftsmanship and delicate stitching that Jack Izod used on his clothes. Indeed, Izod was so proud of his work that he embroidered every shirt with the phrase "shirt maker to the king." Draddy, who was looking to expand into men's apparel sales at the time, ended up purchasing Jack Izod's namesake line and developing the brand. Unsurprisingly, this combination of good taste, excellent craftsmanship and savvy business sense yielded a very marketable result. In the early 1950s, Rene Lacoste, tennis champion extraordinaire and a world-renowned designer in his own right, teamed up with Izod to create a special sporty knit tennis shirt that appealed across demographic lines. Thanks to the release of this highly touted tennis shirt, Izod quickly became a household name, and sales boomed. Izod slowly but surely increased its national and international stature and evolved into a now classic brand. In 1995, in an attempt to refresh the Izod brand, Philips Van Heusen took over the company and refreshed its distribution network. Today, Izod runs wholesale divisions, retail outlets, and factory stores, and the brand continues its tradition of superior quality sportswear, offering polos, khakis, shirts, ties, and more.
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