Selling clothes had been in the genes of sportswear distributor Broder Bros. for years. Begun as a haberdashery in 1919, the company evolved from making hats and gloves into a leading distributor of imprintable sportswear, distributing 40,000-plus SKUs across more than 40 retail brands, including adidas Golf, Champion, Russell Athletic, alternative, Dickies, and private labels. It operates under the Broder, Alpha, and NES divisions. Private labels include Devon & Jones, Chestnut Hill, and Harriton. Customers, mostly small US retailers, order merchandise through seasonal catalogs or online. Private investment firm Bain Capital has held a majority interest in the company since 2000, when the Broder family sold the company.