George Henry Bass started making shoes in 1876 as a junior partner at E.P. Packard & Co. in his hometown of Wilton, Maine, taking full ownership by 1879 and renaming it G.H. Bass & Co. The company built its name on functional footwear for specific jobs (the National Plow Shoe for farmers in 1892, the Bass Moccasin Cruiser for woodsmen in 1906, and an official U.S. Aviation Boot made under government order in 1918) before his sons introduced the Weejun penny loafer in 1936, inspired by a Norwegian style. Ownership has changed hands several times since, from Chesebrough-Ponds in 1978 to PVH in 1987 and G-III Apparel Group, the current owner, in 2013.