PVH Corp.
Founders
Moses Phillips, John Van Heusen · Founded 1881 · HQ today: New York, New York, USA
PVH was founded by Moses Phillips, John Van Heusen in 1881. It is now led by Stefan Larsson.
The business began in 1881 when Moses and Endel Phillips sold hand-sewn shirts to coal miners in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. In 1919 the company partnered with John M. Van Heusen, whose soft-folding collar patent led to the Van Heusen shirt, and the company later took the name Phillips-Van Heusen. It stayed mainly a shirt and sportswear maker until it bought Calvin Klein in 2003.
| Founder | Role at founding | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Moses Phillips | Founder | — |
| John Van Heusen | — | — |
American merchant and immigrant.
Moses Phillips founded the Phillips-Jones company (which would become PVH) in 1881. A Polish immigrant, he began by selling hand-sewn flannel shirts from a wooden pushcart to local coal miners in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. His simple business eventually grew into a massive shirt-making operation that laid the absolute foundation for the modern apparel conglomerate. Moses Phillips was born in 1845.
Dutch-American inventor.
John Manning Van Heusen invented a revolutionary new process for fusing cloth to create a soft, folding shirt collar that didn't require stiff starching. In 1919, he partnered with the Phillips company to mass-produce the 'Van Heusen' collar, which became an absolute massive global sensation and permanently changed men's fashion. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Stefan Larsson
Chief Executive Officer
Under Larsson, PVH revenue was $8.950B in fiscal 2025, up 3%, and the company expanded DTC and e-commerce while cutting costs. 2026 brought a $439M impairment in Q2 and a reaffirmed full-year non-GAAP outlook.
Manny Chirico
Former Chief Executive Officer
Chirico's two transformative acquisitions built the two-megabrand structure -- Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger -- that still generates over 95% of PVH's revenue today. Yes. Yes. Yes.
PVH Corp. traces its roots to 1881, founded by Prussian immigrant Moses Phillips and his wife Endel Phillips in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, alongside Dutch inventor John M. Van Heusen who transformed shirt collars in 1919.
Moses and Endel Phillips began by hand-sewing durable flannel work shirts and selling them directly from a wooden handcart to local coal miners in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, establishing a reputation for rugged garment quality.
In 1919, inventor John M. Van Heusen patented a major soft-folding collar woven on a curve from multiple plies of fabric. Unlike the stiff, starched detachable collars of the era that choked men's necks, the Van Heusen collar was comfortable, soft, and stylish.
In 1919 the Phillips-Jones company partnered with John M. Van Heusen to use his soft-collar patent, launching the Van Heusen shirt. The company later became Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation.
Calvin Klein was founded in 1968 in New York City by designer Calvin Klein and his childhood friend Barry Schwartz. Tommy Hilfiger was founded in 1985 in New York City by designer Tommy Hilfiger with financial backing from Indian textile entrepreneur Mohan Murjani.
PVH Corp. was founded in 1881 by Moses Phillips and his wife Endel Phillips in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, along with inventor John Manning Van Heusen who partnered with the family in 1921.
Moses and Endel Phillips lived in the coal-mining town of Pottsville, Pennsylvania; Endel sewed heavy-duty flannel work shirts by hand at home, and Moses loaded them into a pushcart to sell directly to local anthracite coal miners.
By the 1890s, Moses and his son Isaac Phillips relocated operations to New York City, founding the Phillips-Jones Company and establishing mechanized shirt factories across Pennsylvania and the Bronx.
In 1919, inventor John Manning Van Heusen patented a unique multi-ply weaving method that created a soft-folding collar that held its shape without stiff, uncomfortable starch, transforming men’s formal dress shirts forever.
In 1921, the Phillips-Jones Company acquired the rights to Van Heusen’s patented collar, launching the Van Heusen collar shirt with a massive advertising campaign that became an immediate national sensation.
In 1957, in recognition of the overwhelming fame and commercial dominance of the Van Heusen brand, the Phillips-Jones Corporation officially changed its name to Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation.
While corporate offices relocated to Manhattan, PVH maintained major manufacturing and distribution facilities throughout Pennsylvania coal country for nearly a century as a tribute to its origins.
The founders’ spirit—solving everyday consumer needs with superior textile innovation (from coal-miner workwear to the soft-folding collar)—remains the foundation of PVH’s product excellence strategy.
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