ZEBULON, N.C. — In 1952, the Devil-Dog Dungarees factory opened in Zebulon, creating jeans representing the American brand. 

What You Need To Know

  • Louis Rosenstock, who served in the Army in World War I, founded Devil-Dog Dungarees in 1948, according to the company's website

  • The business used a nickname for the Marines, since the jeans were built on strength and durability

  • This year, the company is celebrating 75 years of iconic fashion, North Carolina presence and heritage

  • Devil-Dog Dungarees in 2019 partnered with the Wounded Warrior Project and has donated $125,000

Devil-Dog Dungarees has a rich history in North Carolina. 

"North Carolina is everything to the brand, it's where the brand really was started, where it was founded, where it really got its legs," said Jeffrey Rosenstock, the grandson of Louis Rosenstock, who founded Devil-Dog Dungarees in 1948. 

Devil-Dog Manufacturing has been a part of Zebulon since 1952. Every leather patch on its products has the town's name. 

While on a road trip from New York to Florida, Louis Rosenstock stopped in North Carolina and met a person who helped him set up his jeans factory. 

"World War I had just ended, and he really wanted to pay tribute to the Marines and the military, and so he chose Devil-Dog Dungarees, tough as a Marine, because for a lot of you, if you don't realize, Devil-Dog is the nickname for the Marines," Jeffrey Rosenstock said. 

To this day, the legacy Louis Rosenstock started lives on. 

"We even joke around and we say that, you know, denim, it's in our genes," Jeffrey Rosenstock said. 

Even the original Devil-Dog Dungarees neon sign can be seen at the distribution center. 

"In honor of the 75-year anniversary, we worked with a local company, Hex Neon, and she refurbished the neon sign and relit it. And it is absolutely beautiful. And you know, we're so proud to have that sign lit up now, and everyone that drives by gets really excited," Rosenstock said. 

With the distribution center being built in Zebulon in 1952, you can say the roots run deep. 

"Probably nobody that's been here, that lives here for a little bit of time, is more than one person removed from either their family worked here, they worked here, or they know someone very dearly that worked here" Rosenstock said. 

He says the community of Zebulon reflects what the company is all about. 

"We always are thinking about how our grandfather would have done it and how the jeans should be made, should be handled, and it's just something that we really take great pride in," Rosenstock said. 

Each pair of Devil-Dog pants comes with a special Wounded Warrior Project dog tag, raising awareness for their veteran support programs and honoring the brave Americans who inspired the brand's name.