J Brand is an American denim clothing company founded in 2005 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

Origins

J Brand was co-founded by Jeff Rudes in 2004. In 2005, J Brand officially launched at the Ron Herman Melrose Denim Bar in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

, California.

Women's Premium Denim

At its inception, the company only offered women's denim. Their 811 Skinny style was popular. Their most famous skinny is the Houlihan Cargo Pant, named for the ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker (auth ...

'' character

Hot Lips Houlihan This is a list of characters from the ''M*A*S*H'' franchise, covering the various fictional characters appearing in the novel '' MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors'' and its sequels, the 1970 film adaptation of the novel, and the televisio ...

and originally perceived as a novelty item. Frank Doroff, vice chairman of Bloomingdales department stores said it was their "best selling pant", selling thousands. J Brand sold more than 300,000 pairs.

Collaborations

J Brand has worked with fashion designers such as Christopher Kane, Simone Rocha, Henry Duarte, Erdem,

Meadham Kirchhoff Meadham Kirchhoff was a British fashion label founded in 2006 by Edward Meadham (born in Somerset) and Benjamin Kirchhoff (born in Chad), who met when studying for bachelor's degrees at Central Saint Martins in London. Upon graduation in 2002, t ...

, Peter Pilotto,

Richard Nicoll Richard Philip Nicoll (15 September 197721 October 2016) was an English fashion designer, best known for his work on modernist classics with the coined term "night-to-day" versatility. Nicoll was awarded three Association Nationale pour le Dé ...

, and Proenza Schouler. They have worked with creative director Karl Templar and photographer Craig McDean for their Fall 2012, Spring 2013, and Fall 2013 ad campaigns.

Acquisition by Fast Retailing

In late 2012, Fast Retailing announced they had bought 80% of J Brand for $290 million.

References

{{Fast Retailing Fast Retailing Clothing retailers of the United States Companies based in California Clothing companies established in 2004