Mechanix Wear Acquires Kinco

Trusted Enthusiast Brands Join to Accelerate Growth

Valencia, CA, June 23, 2025 – Mechanix Wear®, a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance work gloves, announced today it has acquired Kinco®, a 50-year-old, family-owned maker of high-quality gloves. Mechanix Wear is a portfolio company of middle-market private equity firm Gryphon Investors. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Founded in 1975, Kinco manufactures and distributes premium gloves used across farm, outdoor, and industrial applications, with an enthusiast following in the ski and snowboard industry. Today, the Company’s products are primarily sold through retail partners and direct-to-consumer channels. Travis Kindler, son of the Company’s founders and current owner, will remain at Kinco as President, reporting to Mechanix Wear CEO Jesse Spungin, and will retain a minority stake. The acquisition includes Welch®, a work and safety suspender business owned by Kinco, which manufactures in the USA.

Mr. Spungin said, “We are delighted to join forces with Travis and the Kinco team. As leading, family-run protective apparel brands, our companies share a distinguished history of quality and durability, long-lasting customer relationships, and a growth mindset. Kinco is a natural complement to the Mechanix Wear platform and will broaden our product portfolio and channel footprint, expanding upon our mission to deliver trusted hand protection.”

This transaction represents the second add-on acquisition for the Mechanix Wear platform, which acquired Chicago Protective Apparel in August 2021.

Ryan Fagan, Managing Director in the Consumer Group at Gryphon Investors, said, “We have been pleased to partner with Jesse and his team in furthering a truly unique platform of trusted hand protection, and the addition of Kinco will only accelerate that forward momentum. We are proud to continue to invest behind enthusiast brands with differentiated products.”

Mr. Kindler commented, “We are thrilled to join the iconic Mechanix Wear brand and could not envision a better home for the Kinco business. Our employees and customers will benefit from the scale and broader resources of a larger company, and with Gryphon’s capital and operational resources behind us, we will invest in growth, innovation, and customer satisfaction to ensure a long-lasting legacy for the business we have been honored to build.”