hard at work since 1954

REFRIGIWEAR HISTORY

We were created for one reason - to find the best way to keep people warm and working. Since we opened our doors in 1954, we've been dedicated to making gear tougher than the conditions you work in. We don't sit around - every year we work to improve our products so you can get the job done no matter what the conditions are.

This dedication was instilled in the company by our founder, Myron Breakstone. Working in his family's dairy, Myron saw how hard it was for workers to stay warm and get the job done well. Wearing bulky wool coats over multiple layers sure kept them warm, but it slowed them down.

Myron also had first-hand knowledge of working in the freezing cold of Northern Italy during World War II. Loading bombers in those conditions was a very difficult job. Based on those observations and experiences working in cold weather, he was determined to find a better way to keep warm.

Man wearing RefrigiWear coveralls in a meat processing plant

Myron founded the Insulated Clothing Manufacturing Company in 1952 but closed due to lack of capital. Then, in 1954 with his new brother-in-law Mortimer Malden as a partner, the RefrigiWear Clothing Company opened in New York City.

Since then, the company Myron Breakstone founded to keep working people warm has grown from protecting farmers, food processors and cold storage workers on the job to serving multiple industries in both indoor and outdoor environments, including the determined men and women who built the Alaska Pipeline. RefrigiWear gear keeps folks warm while camping, hunting, fishing, hiking or enjoying other cool-weather activities in the great outdoors.

We've also moved a few times since Myron's early days in Manhattan. RefrigiWear now has offices in Dahlonega and Alpharetta, Georgia and a distribution center in Dahlonega, Georgia. RefrigiWear's Samco division is based in Arden Hills, Minnesota.

two men wearing RefrigiWear ice fishing

The one thing that hasn't changed is RefrigiWear's unwavering commitment to keeping people warm at work without compromising their comfort or their performance. Founded as the "Modern Way to Keep Warm," RefrigiWear is still creating new styles, using innovative materials and delivering reliable, durable gear to protect people who work in the cold.

EXPLORE NEW COLD WEATHER GEAR
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Man in cold storage facility wearing 54 gold bibs and jacket driving a forklift