JNCO

JNCO, pronounced "Jenco", is a Los Angeles, California based clothing company specializing in boys and men's jeans. 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 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 200,000-square-foot (19,000 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, skater and raver subcultures in the 1990's. After JNCOs grew in popularity, department store chains such as Kohl's and J. C. Penney as well as mall retail stores such as Tops and Bottems began to carry them. Other stores selling JNCOs were Gadzooks and Pacific Sunwear.

JNCO jeans were produced in a variety of styles and lines, ranging from ultra-wide jeans with leg openings greater than 50 inches (1,300 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-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-inch (860 mm) leg openings and extremely large back pockets, featured embroidery of a kangaroo with boxing gloves above the right rear pocket. They were popular among fans of the genre of music called Nu Metal.

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. Penney 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.