Jockey International

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.[3][4][5] Jockey is known for having invented the first men's Y-Front brief in 1934. Jockey is a recognized trademark in 120 countries.

Jockey International, Inc.
TypePrivate company
PredecessorS.T. Cooper & Sons
Founded1876 (1876) (as Coopers Inc.)
St. Joseph, Michigan, U.S.
FounderSamuel T. Cooper
Headquarters
Kenosha, Wisconsin
,
U.S.
ProductsUnderwear and related products for men, women, boys, and girls
Production output
Central America, the Caribbean, United Kingdom, and the United States
RevenueUS$443.2 million[1]
Number of employees
5,400
Websitejockey.com
Footnotes / references
[2]

History

Jockey was originally named Coopers Inc., and was found by Samuel T. Cooper in St. Joseph, Michigan[6] in 1876 as a hosiery business. Cooper began the business when he learned that lumberjacks were suffering from poorly constructed wool socks. In 1900, Cooper began making undergarments. Although business was good enough to merit expansion in 1902, by 1934 Coopers Inc. was nearly bankrupt due to hardships caused by the Great Depression. 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 an apparel engineer named Arthur Kneibler, briefs dispensed with leg sections and had a Y-shaped overlapping fly.[7] The company dubbed the design the Jockey, since it offered a degree of support that had previously only been available from the jockstrap. Jockey briefs proved so popular that over 30,000 pairs were sold within three months of their introduction. Coopers, having renamed the company Jockey, sent its Mascul-liner plane to make special deliveries of masculine support briefs to retailers across the US. In 1938, when macky were introduced in the UK, they sold at the rate of 3,000 a week.[7] In 1997 Jockey acquired the seamless panties division of Formfit-Rogers, and sold them under the name Form-Fit (this branding was later discontinued).[8] In 1982, Jockey introduced the Jockey For Her line of intimate apparel and underwear.[9]

In August 2020, Luke Bryan joined the Jockey International as Brand Ambassador.[10]

In October 2020, Jockey International's Indian and its affiliate Page Industries are facing an investigation by the US-based Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) over allegations of human rights violations in one of its factories.[11]

Divisions

In 2000, Jockey began selling products directly on-line.

Jockey manufactured Life and Formfit brands temporarily for Wal-Mart and Target. 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.[12] 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 to provide women with the opportunity to enjoy a rich family life while making their dreams come true.

In India, 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. Through this initiative, Jockey strives to increase awareness of and accessibility to post-adoption services nationwide for adoptive families.[13][14]

References
  1. "Financials Information for Jockey International, Inc". Jockey International, Inc. Revenue and Financial Data. Hoover's Inc. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  2. "History of Jockey International, Inc". Company Histories. Funding Universe. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  3. "Terms and Conditions." Jockey International. Retrieved on July 28, 2013. "2300 60th Street Kenosha, Wisconsin 53141-1417"
  4. "Corporate Information." Jockey International. Retrieved on October 4, 2010.
  5. "Celebrate the 4th of July Archived 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine." Jockey International. Retrieved on October 4, 2010. "Jockey International, Inc. - PO Box 1417 - 2300 60th Street - Kenosha, WI"
  6. Matuszak, John (2014-10-19). "Saving Stella". The Herald-Palladium. Retrieved 2014-10-19.
  7. Rushton, Susie (2008-01-22). "A brief history of pants: Why men's smalls have always been a subject of concern". The Independent (Extra). pp. 2–5.
  8. "Jockey acquires Appel's Formfit seamless panties. (Jockey International Inc.; I. Appel Corp.) - HighBeam Business: Arrive Prepared". business.highbeam.com. Archived from the original on 2014-07-28.
  9. Belkin, Lisa (1986-08-24). "Lingerie's Great Leap Forward". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
  10. "Jockey International Taps Luke Bryan As Brand Ambassador". wwd. 21 August 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  11. "Jockey's India partner Page Industries faces probe by US watchdog over rights abuse allegations". New Indian Express. 15 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  12. http://jockeyp2p.com
  13. "Jockey Being Family". Jockey Being Family.
  14. Doris Hajewski. "Family history motivates Jockey CEO to encourage adoption". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 14, 2009. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
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