About Us

At Paramount Apparel International, LLC. we are known for our quality craftsmanship, strong leadership, and great ability to forecast market needs. As a privately held corporation led by the third and fourth generation of the founding family, we offer renowned customer service and have an instilled environment of pride.

Our Mission Statement & Values

We create consumer products that embellish and enrich people’s lives. Our responsiveness, continuous improvement, and empowerment of all team members are the pillars of our success.

 
  • Speed:  Driving and quickly responding to all aspects of the business.
  • Well-being:  Promote a healthy family/work balance as well as a safe, stimulating, and enjoyable work environment.
  • Excellence: Establish high standards and strive to exceed them.
  • Passion: Enthusiasm and dedication to what we do without complacency.
  • Trustworthiness: Always doing the right thing for our customers and team members.

Our History

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1929 Founded
Paramount Cap Manufacturing Co. Founded

Paramount Cap Manufacturing Co. was founded in 1929 in St. Louis, MO by William and Simon Rubenstein. When The Great Depression hit two months in, William and Simon sewed, sold, and shipped their own caps. They not only survived The Depression, but grew in spite of it.

1936 Relocated
New Headquarters

The Rubenstein brothers moved their company from St. Louis to Bourbon, MO, where the corporate headquarters remain today.

1946 Family
Father and Son

Norman Rubenstein, William's son, starts working at Paramount in manufacturing during the week and as a salesman on the weekends. In 1950, he takes over the reins at Paramount.

1968 Tradition
Family Tradition

Mark Rubenstein and Bruce Levinson start with Paramount, working in all departments of the company and learning the business from the ground up. In 1980, the third generation of leadership takes over when Norman retires. Mark becomes Chairman & CEO and Bruce becomes Vice Chairman & CEO.

1990 Growth
Tremendous Growth

In 1990, Paramount Cap Manufacturing Co. becomes Paramount Headwear, Inc. By 1994, Paramount becomes one of the largest manufacturers of headwear in America, expands their operations, and employs roughly 3,500 people.

1995 Expansion
Expanding Divisions

Paramount expands several divisions of the company and doubles their creative department, allowing for greater ingenuity in both headwear and apparel design.

1997 Services
More than Headwear

Paramount becomes full-service premium and promotional products company by offering custom embroidery and silk-screening on all its apparel and accessories. Alex Levinson joins Paramount and the 4th generation of leadership begins.

1998 International
Going International

Paramount expands its horizons by becoming a global company, and in 2001 becomes Paramount Apparel International, Inc.

2002 Licensed Products
Licensed Brands

Focused on expanding its product offering, Paramount launches its Licensed Products Division and immediately begins to develop headwear and accessory lines with brands such as Ben Sherman and Perry Ellis.

2010 Remodel
Rebrand and Remodel

Now known as PAi Inc. New additions in the remodel includes five new automatic presses, two automatic folders and baggers, and new driers. Expanding its personnel, PAi becomes stronger than ever, with its customers reaping the benefits of happy employees and quality products.

2011 Sponsor
Design Studio

Paramount becomes a sponsor of the St. Louis Fashion Incubator because of its international design presence and expertise. Also, the creative department is expanded by opening up a design center downtown.

2012 Imperial
Imperial Headwear

In 2012, Paramount buys Imperial Headwear, the leading manufacturer and marketer of premium quality headwear for the golf market.

2013 Ellington
Ellington

Imperial opens their finished cap factory in Ellington, MO, now producing over 2m caps annually.

2015 DYO
Design Your Own
Imperial launches its first retail site with a Design Your Own feature.
2016 Warehouse
Warehouse
PAi adds another 100k square feet of warehouse space in Sullivan, MO, and implements full package 3PL services now utilized by brands like VF and Fanatics.
2017 VMS
VMS
PAi builds and implements its state of the art VMS software package giving unprecedented oversight, management and integration capabilities to their world class screen-printing operation.
2018 Vulcan
Vulcan DTG
Imperial buys the Kornit Vulcan Direct to Garment Printer and launches its DTG Apparel program.
2020 Custom
Imperial Custom
Imperial launches their Custom Imperial website, where customers can order caps and t-shirts with their own logos with a one piece minimum.
2021 CPC
Acquired by CPC

CPC purchases Paramount Apparel International and its flagship golf brand Imperial. Their mission is to buy, build and hold great business for the long term.

Global Responsibility: Eco-Friendly​

To make Paramount Apparel’s strong focus on sustainability efforts a success, we believe that informing customers and employees with information related to our goals and achievements is a necessity.  We need both our employees and customers to be aware of the continued efforts we will share as a whole. Responsibility starts with the company as one entity and turns into the responsibility of individuals.  We have focused on a number of projects throughout Paramount’s operations to effectively become more eco-friendly as we manufacture apparel and headwear both domestically and globally.  Green efforts such as establishing extensive recycling programs, using recycled materials such as cardboard, paper, and plastic in our day-to-day activities and converting to more environmentally-friendly lighting, heating, and cooling are just some examples of our continued pledge of global responsibility.

Diversity Equals Empowerment

At Paramount, we hold true to our local community’s values, work ethic and diversity while continually striving to reflect the diversity of the greater community that makes up our nation.

 

We know that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative work environment, which in turn delivers better results for our team, our customers and our communities.

 

We believe that what makes you unique is also what makes you valuable. Allowing everyone to feel empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work builds an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices of all of our team.

 

Most importantly, creating an environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best work is simply the right thing to do.