Jockey International, Inc. is an American

manufacturer Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a ran ...

and

retailer Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

underwear Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

sleepwear Nightwear – also called sleepwear, or nightclothes – is clothing designed to be worn while sleeping. The style of nightwear worn may vary with the seasons, with warmer styles being worn in colder conditions and vice versa. Some style ...

, and

sportswear Sportswear or activewear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Typical sport-specific garments ...

for men, women, and children. The company is based in

Kenosha, Wisconsin Kenosha () is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the seat of Kenosha County. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986 which made it the fourth-largest city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenos ...

. Jockey invented the first men's Y-Front brief in 1934 and is a recognized

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from others ...

in 120 countries.

History

Jockey was originally named Coopers Inc., and was found by Samuel T. Cooper in

St. Joseph, Michigan St. Joseph, colloquially known as St. Joe, is a city and the county seat of Berrien County, Michigan. It was incorporated as a village in 1834 and as a city in 1891. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,365. It lies on the shore o ...

in 1876 as a

hosiery Hosiery, also referred to as legwear, describes garments worn directly on the feet and legs. The term originated as the collective term for products of which a maker or seller is termed a hosier; and those products are also known generically as h ...

business. Cooper began the business after hearing that

lumberjacks Lumberjacks are mostly North American workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to loggers in the era (before 1945 in the Uni ...

suffered from poorly constructed

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. As ...

socks. In 1900, Cooper began making

undergarments Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

. By 1902 the business was expanding. However, by 1934 Coopers Inc. was nearly

bankrupt Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debt ...

due to

the Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The company recruited Harry H. Wolf Sr., to restructure the company. On January 19, 1935, during a

blizzard A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds and low visibility, lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically at least three or four hours. A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling b ...

, Coopers Inc. sold the world's first

briefs Briefs (or a brief) are a type of short, form-fitting Undergarment, underwear and swimsuit, swimwear, as opposed to styles where material extends down the thighs. Briefs have various different styles, usually with a waistband attached to fabric ...

at the

Marshall Field's Marshall Field & Company (commonly known as Marshall Field's) was an upscale department store in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, Inc acquired it in 2005. Its eponymous founder, Mar ...

State Street store in downtown

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. Designed by so-called 'apparel engineer' Arthur Kneibler, briefs dispensed with leg sections and had a Y-shaped overlapping fly. The company dubbed it the ''Jockey'', claiming it offered support like a

jockstrap A jockstrap, also a jock (male), jill (female), strap, cup, groin guard, pelvic protector (female), supporter, or athletic supporter, is an undergarment for protecting the testes and penis or vulva during contact sports or other vigorous physic ...

. 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. 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. 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 colours. 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, and Jockey International, Inc. the following year. In 1997 Jockey acquired the seamless panties division of

Formfit The Formfit Company was a manufacturer of women's "foundation garments", mainly corsets and girdles. Founded in 1917 with headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, it was one of the largest, if not the largest manufacturer of such products in the world. L ...

-Rogers, and sold them under the name Form-Fit (this branding was later discontinued). In 1982, Jockey introduced the ''Jockey For Her'' line of

intimate apparel Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

and underwear. In August 2020, country singer Luke Bryan became a Jockey brand ambassador. In October 2020, Jockey International's Indian 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. In December of 2020, 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.

Divisions

In 2000, Jockey began selling products online. Jockey manufactured Life and Formfit brands temporarily for

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

and

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

. Jockey continues to manufacture the ''Life'' brand of men's underwear but discontinued the women's line in 2002. Jockey continues to manufacture both men's and women's lines for Target under the JKY brand. In 2005, Jockey introduced its direct-selling division jockeyp2p.com. The independent sales force, known as ''Comfort Specialist Consultants'', sells products for women. Product lines include outerwear, sportswear, active wear, and accessories. Jockey International Chairman and CEO Debra S. Waller founded Jockey Person to Person. In

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, Page Industries Ltd. is the licensee for Jockey.

Philanthropy

Jockey sponsors the Jockey Being Family Foundation, a charity focused on supporting families after they have adopted a child. This increases awareness of and accessibility to post-adoption services in the United States for adoptive families.

Models

Jockey's models have included: * Chris Brooks * Chanel Celaya Watkins * Tom Clune * Eli Cruz * Nathalie Darcas * Chris Dattola * Anthony David * Mallory Edens * David Entinghe * David Filipiak * Davey Fisher * Rachelle Goulding * Don Hood * Brett Kalli * Jeff Kasser * Anastasia Lupu * Fernanda Marques * Megan Martin Coolbaugh * Maria Montgomery * Connor Moxam * Sean Myrie * Ashley Novak * Norbi Novak * Gigi Paris * Victoria Raemy * Brooke Register * Ashley Revollo * Sherelle Sebastian * Alden Steimle * Jasmyn Wilkins * Malia Williams * Clara Wilsey * Aurélie Wulff

References

External links