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Jockey International

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Jockey International, Inc.
Company typePrivate company
IndustryTextile
PredecessorS.T. Cooper & Sons
Founded1876; 148 years ago (1876) (as Coopers Inc.)
St. Joseph, Michigan, U.S.
FounderSamuel T. Cooper
Headquarters
Kenosha, Wisconsin
,
United States[1]
ProductsUnderwear and related products for men, women, boys, and girls
Production output
Central America, the Caribbean, United Kingdom, and the United States
Websitewww.jockey.com

Jockey International, Inc. is an American manufacturer and retailer of underwear, sleepwear, and sportswear for men, women, and children. The company is based in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Jockey invented the first men's Y-Front brief in 1934 and it is a recognized trademark in 120 countries.[2][3][4][5][6][7] The acceptance of Jockey's Briefs showed the ultimate rejection of all the dress restrictions imposed on men during the Victorian era of repression.[8]

History

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Jockey was originally named Coopers, Inc., and was founded by Samuel T. Cooper in St. Joseph, Michigan in 1876 as a hosiery business.[9][10][11] Cooper began the business after hearing that lumberjacks suffered from poorly constructed wool socks. In 1900, Cooper began making undergarments. By 1902 the business was expanding. However, by 1934 Coopers Inc. was nearly bankrupt due to the Great Depression.[12] The company recruited Harry H. Wolf Sr., to restructure the company.

On January 19, 1935, during a blizzard, Coopers, Inc. sold the world's first briefs at the Marshall Field's State Street store in downtown Chicago. Designed by so-called 'apparel engineer' Arthur Kneibler, briefs dispensed with leg sections and had a Y-shaped overlapping fly.[13] The company dubbed it the Jockey, claiming it offered support like a jockstrap. Over 30,000 pairs were sold within three months of their introduction. Coopers used a Mascul-liner plane to deliver masculine support briefs to retailers across the US. When they were introduced to the UK in 1938, they sold 3,000 a week.[13]

In 1958, the company introduced the first mass-sale men's bikini brief, known as 'Skants'. The low-cut nylon and elastic brief, inspired by women's bikinis, had no front fly and was unlined apart from a small support panel at the lower front.[14] Skants sold well in the 1960's and into the 1970's especially in the US and the UK. Initially manufactured in white, blue, and black, Skants were eventually produced in a wider variety of colors. They were popular with gay men at a time in which homosexuality was widely illegal. Skants were modified in the early 1970's to reduce the slightly raised join in the elastic on the hips (the new design was called 'Skants St Tropez'), but this brief was never popular because it lacked the support of the earlier design, and eventually succumbed to competition. Jockey still produces Skants, mostly cotton, for sale in several countries including South Africa and New Zealand.

Coopers renamed itself Jockey Menswear, Inc. in 1971,[15] and Jockey International, Inc. the following year.[16] In 1997 Jockey acquired the seamless panties division of Formfit-Rogers, and sold them under the name Form-Fit (this branding was later discontinued).[17] In 1982, Jockey introduced the Jockey For Her line of intimate apparel and underwear.[18] In 2011, Jockey launched a line of underwear using Outlast Technologies, which was originally developed to help NASA astronauts stay comfortable in changing temperatures and reduce sweating.[19][20][21]

In August 2020, country singer Luke Bryan became a paid corporate spokesperson for the Jockey brand.[22] In October 2020, Jockey International's India and its affiliate Page Industries were investigated by the US-based Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) over allegations of human rights violations in one of its factories.[23] In December of the same year, Page Industries Ltd., the licensee of Jockey International in India, was recertified by Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) and found to be socially compliant. WRAP said human rights violations allegations were not substantiated by the findings of the audit. [24][25]

Philanthropy

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Jockey sponsors the Jockey Being Family Foundation, a charity focused on supporting families after they have adopted a child. Jockey claims that the foundation increases awareness of and accessibility to post-adoption services in the United States for adoptive families. The foundation distributes Jockey-branded backpacks and tote bags to a number of adopted children and adoptive parents. Jockey does not disclose how much funding it gives to the foundation.[26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Jockey International, Inc. Company Profile | Kenosha, WI | Competitors, Financials & Contacts". Dun & Bradstreet. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  2. ^ Peterson et al. 2008, p. 277
  3. ^ Goetsch 1993, p. 8.
  4. ^ Kellogg 2002, p. 161.
  5. ^ Clark, Laura (January 19, 2015). "Tighty-Whities First Hit the Market More Than 80 Years Ago". Smithsonian. ISSN 0037-7333. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  6. ^ Staff Writer (October 9, 2009). "Brief history of 75 years". The Dispatch. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  7. ^ "Thanks for the support, Jockey". Otago Daily Times. May 13, 2009. Archived from the original on November 10, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  8. ^ Batchelor 2009, p. 77.
  9. ^ Still 2003, p. 149.
  10. ^ Knapp 2007, p. 52.
  11. ^ Palmieri, Jean E. (October 23, 2024). "Jockey, Luke Bryan to Open Store in Nashville". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  12. ^ Matuszak, John (October 31, 2014). "Efforts underway to restore historic tabernacle". Portland Press Herald. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Rushton, Susie (January 22, 2008). "A brief history of pants: Why men's smalls have always been a subject of concern". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  14. ^ Hill 2024, p. 88.
  15. ^ "A brief history of men's underwear". Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  16. ^ Thomas 1998, p. 106.
  17. ^ WWD Staff (January 8, 1997). "Jockey Acquires Appel's Formfit Seamless Panties". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  18. ^ Belkin, Lisa (August 24, 1986). "Lingerie's Great Leap Forward". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  19. ^ "Spacesuit Materials Add Comfort to Undergarments". NASA spin-off technologies. 2012. Archived from the original on September 27, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  20. ^ Monget, Karyn (October 26, 2011). "Jockey Inks Licensing Deal With Komar Layering". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on November 17, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  21. ^ Monget, Karyn (May 10, 2010). "Jockey Taps 'Smart Fabric' for New Line". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on November 17, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
  22. ^ Ell, Kellie (August 21, 2020). "Jockey International Taps Luke Bryan As Brand Ambassador". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  23. ^ "Jockey's India partner Page Industries faces probe by US watchdog over rights abuse allegations". The New Indian Express. October 15, 2020. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  24. ^ Ravikumar, Sachin; Monnappa, Chandini (October 14, 2020). "Exclusive: U.S. apparel watchdog probes Jockey's Indian partner after human rights abuse allegations". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  25. ^ "US watchdog re-certifies Jockey's India partner Page Industries' unit as socially compliant". The Times of India. December 14, 2020. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  26. ^ Hajewski, Doris (November 14, 2009). "Family history motivates Jockey CEO to encourage adoption". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2024.

Bibliography

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