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                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1
 
PROXY
 
                                 DAN RIVER INC.
 
                   PROXY SOLICITED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
                    FOR THE SPECIAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS
                              ON           , 1998
 
   The undersigned hereby appoints Joseph L. Lanier, Jr. and Barry F. Shea, and
each of them, proxies, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for
and in the name of the undersigned, to vote all shares of common stock of Dan
River Inc. ("Dan River") which the undersigned would be entitled to vote if
personally present at the Special Meeting of Shareholders to be held on
 , 1998, at a.m., local time, at the offices of King & Spalding, 191 Peachtree
Street, 50 Floor, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, or at any adjournment thereof, upon
the matters described in the accompanying Notice of Special Meeting of
Shareholders and Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus, receipt of which is hereby
acknowledged, and upon any other business that may properly come before the
Special Meeting of Shareholders or any adjournment thereof. Said proxies are
directed to vote on the matters described in the Notice of Special Meeting of
Shareholders and Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus as follows, and otherwise in
their discretion upon such other business as may properly come before the
Special Meeting of Shareholders or any adjournment thereof.
 
1. To consider and vote upon a proposal to approve the Agreement and Plan of
   Merger dated as of June 28, 1998 between Dan River and The Bibb Company
   ("Bibb"), which provides for the acquisition of Bibb, and the issuance of
   shares of Dan River Class A Common Stock in connection therewith. If the
   Merger Agreement is approved, Bibb would be merged with and into Dan River
   (the "Merger"). The terms of the Merger are described in the accompanying
   Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus.
 
             [ ] FOR             [ ] AGAINST             [ ] ABSTAIN
 
                  (continued and to be signed on reverse side)
 
                          (continued from other side)
 
THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED AS DIRECTED, BUT IF NO DIRECTION IS INDICATED, THIS
PROXY WILL BE VOTED FOR THE ABOVE-STATED PROPOSALS.
 
                                                  DATE:
 
- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------,
                                                  1998
 
                                                  ------------------------------
 
                                                  ------------------------------
 
                                                  Please sign exactly as your
                                                  name or names appear hereon.
                                                  For more than one owner as
                                                  shown above, each should sign.
                                                  When signing in a fiduciary or
                                                  representative capacity,
                                                  please give full title. If
                                                  this proxy is submitted by a
                                                  corporation, it should be
                                                  executed in the full corporate
                                                  name by a duly authorized
                                                  officer, if a partnership,
                                                  please sign in the partnership
                                                  name by an authorized person.
 
PLEASE COMPLETE, DATE AND SIGN THIS PROXY AND RETURN IT PROMPTLY IN THE ENCLOSED
ENVELOPE, WHETHER OR NOT YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE SPECIAL MEETING ON      , 1998.
IF YOU ATTEND THE SPECIAL MEETING, YOU MAY VOTE IN PERSON IF YOU WISH, EVEN IF
YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY RETURNED YOUR PROXY.