The Surprising Rhode Island History of Fruit of the Loom

I see London, I see France, I see the origin of your underpants. Did you know that the famous Fruit of the Loom brand began in Rhode Island?

As someone who grew up in East Providence, I know some of the iconic products that have come out of Little Rhody such as coffee milk, Del's lemonade, Mr. Potato Head and more.

However, I was today years old when I found out that Fruit of the Loom also got its start in the Ocean State.

From Warwick Textile Mills to Hand-Painted Apples: The 1850s Origin Story

Back in the 1850s, the company B.B. & R. Knight, Inc. acquired yet another textile mill in Warwick. Owned by two brothers, Benjamin and Robert Knight, the mill produced muslin cloth which they sold to various shop owners such as Rufas Skeel.

grayscale photo of man in underwear — Photo by Roma Kaiuk🇺🇦 on Unsplash

To attract customers to certain products, Skeel's daughter created a hand-painted label featuring an apple; a Swaar apple, to be exact. The pieces sold quickly and the daughter began adding other fruits to her design like grapes and cherries.

From 1871 to the Chicago World’s Fair: How the Famous Logo Evolved

Before long, Robert Knight caught wind of the design and chose to incorporate it alongside the Fruit of the Loom name in 1871. Over time, the logo evolved; a peach, pear and grapes were created in 1875.

Then, in 1883, Fruit of the Loom debuted its current logo at the Chicago World’s Fair, incorporating apple, grapes and gooseberries.

The Cornucopia Mandela Effect: Setting the Record Straight

As you can see, there was never a cornucopia in the image, something that has been debated for years. It's a topic so debated online that the company even created a dedicated web page to address the myth.

More than 100 years later, Fruit of the Loom is still producing their products, just no longer in the United States. It's wild to think this global underwear powerhouse got its humble start right in Little Rhody.

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