J. Press

Infobox_Company
company_name = J. Press
company_
company_type= Private
foundation = New Haven, Connecticut, 1902
location = New York, New York
key_people = Jacobi Press (Founder) Paul Press (Past President & CEO) Mark McNairy (Current Design Director)
industry = Clothier | products = Men's Clothing | parent = Onward Kashiyama Co. Ltd.
homepage = [http://www.jpressonline.com/ www.jpressonline.com]

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 Japanese market, making it the first American brand to be licensed in Japan. [ [http://www.dnrnews.com/site/article.php?id=73 "New Flagship Updates J. Press"] "DNR", 2007-5-7. Retrieved on May 30, 2007.] Today, J. Press is a privately held subsidiary of the Japanese apparel company Onward Kashiyama.

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, 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 sweaters. 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 overcoats 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. [“J. Press has catered, since 1902, to the ultraconservatives of the Old Guard who feel Brooks Brothers is too trendy and women’s departments are an abomination.” "The Official Preppy Handbook, p. 152.] 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 unnatural materials in its line. In May 2007, J. Press opened a new flagship store at 380 Madison Avenue in New York City. [ [http://www.dnrnews.com/site/article.php?id=73 "New Flagship Updates J. Press"] "DNR", 2007-5-7. Retrieved on May 30, 2007.]

Cultural references

*J. Press is mentioned in Whit Stillman's 1990 film "Metropolitan".
*Former President George H.W. Bush has been a loyal J. Press client since his days at Yale College in the 1940s. During the 1980 election, after being described as a "Brooks Brothers Republican," Bush opened his jacket to reveal a J. Press logo.
*Sensitive about suggestions he dressed like a "hayseed," Bill Clinton went to J. Press's location in Cambridge before the 1992 campaign. To be sure he made no mistake, Clinton bought Press's "Pressidential" suits.
*A white button-down shirt from J. Press was a minor plot element in the American TV series "Sports Night".
*On the show "Gossip Girl", Chuck Bass' signature is a silk patchwork scarf from J. Press. The item became surrounded in hype after being featured in the New York Times Style Section and on many blogs. This caused the $175 piece, available only at the Madison Avenue store, to sell out quickly
*In the 2008 film "21" starring Kevin Spacey, the main character, Ben Campbell, works part-time at the J. Press store in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Scenes were filmed on location in the actual store.

ee also

*Brooks Brothers
*Paul Stuart

External links

* [http://www.jpressonline.com J. Press (Official U.S. website)]
* [http://www.onward.co.jp/jpress/ J. Press (Official Japanese website)]
* [http://yjhm.yale.edu/archives/lifetales/mwilson.htm Article on the contemporary family and firm]
*"Preppy: The New Black?" [http://www.theharvardcrimson.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"

References