JNCO
Encyclopedia
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
based clothing company specializing in boys and men's jeans
Jeans
Jeans are trousers made from denim. Some of the earliest American blue jeans were made by Jacob Davis, Calvin Rogers, and Levi Strauss in 1873. Starting in the 1950s, jeans, originally designed for cowboys, became popular among teenagers. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler...
. Founded in 1985 by Milo and Jacques Revah, JNCO is an acronym, short for: "Judge None, Choose One". The brand gained recognition in the early 1990s with its boys ultra-wide straight legged denim
Denim
Denim is a rugged cotton twill textile, in which the weft passes under two or more warp threads. This produces the familiar diagonal ribbing identifiable on the reverse of the fabric, which distinguishes denim from cotton duck. Denim has been in American usage since the late 18th century...
jeans featuring elaborate pocket logos and a unique street look. This street look was popularized throughout the 90s starting in Los Angeles and working its way nationwide. JNCO also manufactures T-shirts, khaki pants and other clothing articles. Unlike similar California based apparel manufacturers, JNCO manufactured most of its products in the United States, mainly at S.M.J. American Manufacturing Co., a 200000 square feet (18,580.6 m²) operation also owned by Milo and Jacques Revah.
Styles
The pants were sold mainly in urban specialty stores and became popular among many members of the hip-hop, skaterSkater
Skater may refer to:*Skating , various activities:** Skater or skateboarder - someone who practices skateboarding, i.e. someone who rides a skateboard** Skater - someone who rides with rollerskates...
and raver
Raver
Raver or ravers may refer to:* Raver, Maharashtra, a city in India* Raver, a party-goer: in the 1960s and 1970s, a "party animal"; since the 1980s, more specifically an aficionado of raves...
subcultures in the 1990's. After JNCOs grew in popularity, department store chains such as Kohl's
Kohl's
Kohl's Corporation is an American department store chain headquartered in the Milwaukee suburb of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, operating , 1,089 stores in 49 states. In 1998, it entered the S&P 500 list, and is also listed in the Fortune 500...
and J. C. Penney
J. C. Penney
-External links:*...
as well as mall retail stores such as Tops and Bottems began to carry them. Other stores selling JNCOs were Gadzooks
Gadzooks
Gadzooks, Inc. was a mall-based clothing retailer aimed at teenagers based in Carrollton, Texas. It was founded in 1983 as a t-shirt business owned by Texas businessmen, Jerry Szczepanski and Larry Titus. After achieving success, Gadzooks expanded its product line to sell a broader assortment of...
and Pacific Sunwear
Pacific Sunwear
Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc. is a US based retail clothing brand rooted in the youth oriented culture and fashion vibe of California. The company sells lifestyle apparel, along with footwear and accessories designed for teens and young adults. As of late 2011, the company operated over 800...
.
JNCO jeans were produced in a variety of styles and lines, ranging from ultra-wide jeans with leg openings greater than 50 inches (1,270 mm) to more conservatively-cut styles. Some were so large that younger children often had to sit down while putting them on. After reaching the height of its popularity within the subcultures and becoming more mainstream, JNCOs were known for featuring superfluously large back pockets with graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
-like inspired artwork embroidery that became more cartoonish as the 1990s ended including flaming skulls and the "JNCO Crown" (previously the majority of styles only had a relatively small stylized "J"). Some names of JNCO styles included Mammoths, Crime Scenes, Mad Scientists, Buddha, Tribals and Rhinos. Kangaroos, which had 34 inches (863.6 mm) leg openings and extremely large back pockets, featured embroidery of a kangaroo
Kangaroo
A kangaroo is a marsupial from the family Macropodidae . In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, especially those of the genus Macropus, Red Kangaroo, Antilopine Kangaroo, Eastern Grey Kangaroo and Western Grey Kangaroo. Kangaroos are endemic to the country...
with boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
gloves above the right rear pocket. They were popular among fans of the genre of music called Nu Metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
.
Current status of the company
JNCO brand graphic t-shirts and designer jeans can still be found in certain regions in stores such as J. C. PenneyJ. C. Penney
-External links:*...
and Sears as of January 2010.
As of 2011, only one company, bewild.com and their affiliated websites, still carries Authentic 1990s style JNCO jeans such as mammoths and kangaroos. The jeans were first re-offered for sale to the public in January 2011 at a price of $99 US. Bewild.com currently offers only two "old skool" styles of JNCOs for sale. When asked over the phone the company stated they have teamed up directly with JNCO to "resurrect" the line and they are trying very hard to make new styles available in the near future. According to Bewild, they hold "an exclusive contract" with JNCO for the manufacture of the famous, formerly discontinued pants. JNCO currently offers a full line of contemporary style denim and graphic tee which is widely available in department stores and through other online retailers. Unfortunately, This company will soon be going out of business as everyone now understands, No one likes jeans that big.