JNCO
JNCO, short for "JEAN-COMPANY", is a Los Angeles, California based clothing company specializing in boys' and men's jeans. It was founded in 1985 by Jacques Yaakov Revah and Haim Milo Revah. The brand gained recognition in the 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 through the United States. 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, hardcore, and raver subcultures in the mid 1990s. The signature-look of JNCO jeans was baggy with extra-large back pockets which were originally designed to hold spraypaint cans. The original logo was designed by an LA Graffiti artist, Nuke, who the brothers hired to create the triple crown
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 Bottoms 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, Twin Cannons, 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.
Current status of the company
After 1998 peak sales of $186.9 million, sales halved in 1999. In 2000, the brothers closed the main factory. 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 2014.
As of February 2015, JNCO is going to start making jeans again.