J. Press
Encyclopedia
J. Press is a men's clothier
in the United States
. Founded in 1902 in New Haven
, Connecticut
, by Jacobi Press, the company now operates stores in three additional locations: New York
, New York
, Washington, D.C.
, and Cambridge
, Massachusetts
. J. Press formerly had branches in San Francisco and Princeton
, New Jersey
. The original New Haven location remains the company's largest store. In 1974, the Press family sold the rights to license J. Press for the Japan
ese market, making it the first American brand to be licensed in Japan. In 1986, J. Press was acquired by the Japan
ese apparel company Onward Kashiyama, who had previously been his licensee for 14 years. The Japanese licensed made distribution is roughly six times larger than the American made J. Press.
Jacobi Press immigrated to the US from Latvia in 1902 and founded the company six years later.
Since its founding, J. Press' clothing has remained much the same. For example, the company produces the vast majority of its off-the-rack jackets in the traditional "three-button sack" style rarely found today in America, and for the most part, only produces plain-front trousers
, for which the company suggests a traditional 1 3/4" cuff
. Fabrics are generally subdued, except for traditionally bright-colored items such as casual trousers
and sweater
s. Its neckties bear traditional repp stripe, foulard, and paisley
motifs. They also carry scarves and ties featuring motifs and colors for Ivy League
schools, including Yale
's Skull and Bones
Society. J. Press dress overcoat
s are of lambswool
, cashmere
, or camel hair
, or of herringbone tweed with a velvet collar in the Chesterfield
style. In 2000, J. Press expanded its sales to the World Wide Web, through which it offers most of its line, as of 2007.
J. Press often is said to carry on a traditional Ivy League
style of men's clothing. Little-known outside of New England
and the East Coast
, J. Press caters most to an old-fashioned preppy
subculture
that eschews popular culture trends. The company makes an effort not to outsource the production of its clothing to developing countries
or to use synthetic materials
in its line. In May 2007, J. Press opened a new flagship store at 380 Madison Avenue in New York City. According to The Preppy Handbook, the former store, on 44th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues, was chosen because it was equidistant from the Harvard and Yale clubs.
Tailor
A tailor is a person who makes, repairs, or alters clothing professionally, especially suits and men's clothing.Although the term dates to the thirteenth century, tailor took on its modern sense in the late eighteenth century, and now refers to makers of men's and women's suits, coats, trousers,...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1902 in New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, by Jacobi Press, the company now operates stores in three additional locations: New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, and Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. J. Press formerly had branches in San Francisco and Princeton
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The original New Haven location remains the company's largest store. In 1974, the Press family sold the rights to license J. Press for the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese market, making it the first American brand to be licensed in Japan. In 1986, J. Press was acquired by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese apparel company Onward Kashiyama, who had previously been his licensee for 14 years. The Japanese licensed made distribution is roughly six times larger than the American made J. Press.
History and style
Since its founding, J. Press' clothing has remained much the same. For example, the company produces the vast majority of its off-the-rack jackets in the traditional "three-button sack" style rarely found today in America, and for the most part, only produces plain-front trousers
Trousers
Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
, for which the company suggests a traditional 1 3/4" cuff
Cuff
A cuff is an extra layer of fabric at the lower edge of the sleeve of a garment covering the arms. In US usage the word may also refer to the end of the leg of a pair of trousers...
. Fabrics are generally subdued, except for traditionally bright-colored items such as casual trousers
Trousers
Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
and sweater
Sweater
A sweater, jumper, pullover, sweatshirt, jersey or guernsey is a garment intended to cover the torso and arms. It is often worn over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt, or other top, but may also be worn alone as a top...
s. Its neckties bear traditional repp stripe, foulard, and paisley
Paisley (design)
Paisley or Paisley pattern is a droplet-shaped vegetable motif of Indian, Pakistani and Persian origin. The pattern is sometimes called "Persian pickles" by American traditionalists, especially quiltmakers,The Persian Pickle Club, Sandra Dallas. St. Martin's Press,...
motifs. They also carry scarves and ties featuring motifs and colors for Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
schools, including Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
's Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
Society. J. Press dress overcoat
Overcoat
An overcoat is a type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment. Overcoats usually extend below the knee, but are sometimes mistakenly referred to as topcoats, which are short coats that end at or above the knees. Topcoats and overcoats together are known as outercoats...
s are of lambswool
Lambswool
Lambswool is wool which is 50mm or shorter from the first shearing of a sheep, at around the age of seven months. It is soft, elastic, and slippery, and is used in high-grade textiles....
, cashmere
Cashmere wool
Cashmere wool, usually simply known as cashmere, is a fiber obtained from Cashmere and other types of goats. The word cashmere derives from an old spelling of Kashmir. Cashmere is fine in texture, and strong, light, and soft. Garments made from it provide excellent...
, or camel hair
Camel hair
Camel hair is, variously, the hair of a camel; a type of cloth made from camel hair; or a substitute for authentic camel hair; and is classified as a specialty hair fibre. When woven into haircloth, using the outer protective fur called guard hair, camel hair is coarse and inflexible...
, or of herringbone tweed with a velvet collar in the Chesterfield
Chesterfield coat
The Chesterfield coat is a long, tailored overcoat. It arose along with the lounge suit as an alternative to the highly shaped coats it replaced, such as the frock overcoat with its heavy waist suppression using a waist seam. The Chesterfield has no horizontal seam or sidebodies, but can still be...
style. In 2000, J. Press expanded its sales to the World Wide Web, through which it offers most of its line, as of 2007.
Ivy League (clothes)
For other uses of the term Ivy League see Ivy League Ivy League is a style of men's dress, popular in the late 1950s, and said to have originated on college campuses. The clothing stores J...
style of men's clothing. Little-known outside of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and the East Coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, J. Press caters most to an old-fashioned preppy
Preppy
Preppy, preppie, or prep refers to a modern, widespread United States clique, often considered a subculture...
subculture
Subculture
In sociology, anthropology and cultural studies, a subculture is a group of people with a culture which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong.- Definition :...
that eschews popular culture trends. The company makes an effort not to outsource the production of its clothing to developing countries
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
or to use synthetic materials
Synthetic fiber
Synthetic fibers are the result of extensive research by scientists to improve on naturally occurring animal and plant fibers. In general, synthetic fibers are created by forcing, usually through extrusion, fiber forming materials through holes into the air, forming a thread...
in its line. In May 2007, J. Press opened a new flagship store at 380 Madison Avenue in New York City. According to The Preppy Handbook, the former store, on 44th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues, was chosen because it was equidistant from the Harvard and Yale clubs.
External links
- J. Press (Official U.S. website)
- J. Press (Official Japanese website)
- Article on the contemporary family and firm
- "Preppy: The New Black?" http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=514852, from The Harvard Crimson
- "J. Press: Ivy tradition, worldwide sensation" http://yaleherald.com/article.php?Article=6201, from The Yale Herald
- "J. Press takes pride in 'preppy' clothing legacy" http://www.yaledailynews.com/articles/view/22449, from The Yale Daily News