Imagine it’s the 1990s, and you’re a teenager who loves skateboarding. You’re hanging out with friends, showing off your skills on the half-pipe. Suddenly, an adult approaches, but instead of being weird, he’s a marketing executive for JNCO jeans. He’s here to show off the coolest fashion trend of the time: ultra-wide-leg jeans. These jeans were all about defying authority and breaking school dress codes. Let’s dive into the story of how JNCO jeans became a fashion phenomenon.
The story begins with Haim Rava, who was born in Morocco and grew up in France. Fascinated by American TV shows, Haim, who later became known as Milo, noticed that denim was a big deal in the U.S. His father was in the denim business, so when Milo and his brother Yakov (Jacques) moved to Los Angeles, they naturally got into the clothing industry. They started a company called RavaTex in 1985 with $200,000 in savings.
RavaTex had a smart strategy. While most retailers waited six months for overseas orders, the Rava brothers owned a factory in Los Angeles and could deliver in just eight weeks. This quick turnaround made them valuable partners for retailers.
After years of making clothes for other brands, the Rava brothers wanted something of their own. Milo found inspiration in the Latino community of East Los Angeles, where young men wore jeans that were wider at the ankle and hung low on the waist. He believed this style could appeal to teens looking for something different from the usual Levi’s jeans.
To give their jeans an urban vibe, they teamed up with graffiti artist Joseph Montalvo, known as Nuke, to design a logo. They named their brand JNCO, which some say stands for “Judge None, Choose One,” though the Ravas never confirmed this. They hoped JNCO would become a hot trend.
JNCO jeans debuted in 1993 but didn’t take off immediately. They were sold in specialty markets and at a store called Merry-Go-Round. However, when Merry-Go-Round went bankrupt in 1996, boutiques picked up the discounted JNCOs and sold them at regular prices, introducing them to a new audience.
Marketing expert Steven Sternberg helped JNCO target suburban markets. He set up a booth at a surf trade show in Orlando, and soon, JNCO jeans were in fitting rooms across the country. They appeared in cool mall shops like Hot Topic, appealing to teens who wanted to stand out.
JNCO jeans were perfect for teens who wanted to rebel against adults. In the 1990s, teens shopped a lot, buying multiple pairs of jeans each year. The secret to JNCO’s success was their wide legs. While typical jeans had a 16-inch cuff, JNCOs had a 23-inch opening, with some styles going beyond 40 inches!
In a 1998 survey, teens ranked JNCO as the 12th coolest brand, ahead of big names like Calvin Klein. The brand’s marketing was clever, with graffiti ads near schools and sponsorship of extreme sports events. By 1998, JNCO sales reached $186.9 million.
Despite their popularity, JNCO jeans faced challenges. Some schools banned them for safety reasons, and copycat brands emerged. By 1999, sales began to decline as fashion trends shifted away from baggy jeans to styles like cargo pants.
RavaTex tried to adapt by introducing khakis and targeting teenage girls, but the trend had moved on. By 2001, they closed their Los Angeles factory, and by 2003, the Ravas stepped away from JNCOs.
In 2019, Milo Rava relaunched JNCO with his daughter, offering products with the classic wide-leg style for nostalgic consumers. JNCO jeans were more than just clothing; they were a way for teens to express themselves and challenge the norms. The more adults complained, the more kids wanted to wear them, making JNCOs a memorable part of fashion history.
Imagine you’re a fashion designer in the 1990s. Create a new clothing item that could rival JNCO jeans in popularity. Sketch your design and write a short description explaining how it challenges current fashion norms and appeals to teenagers.
Research and create a timeline of major fashion trends from the 1990s to today. Highlight where JNCO jeans fit into this timeline and discuss how fashion has evolved since then. Present your timeline to the class.
In groups, role-play as a marketing team tasked with relaunching JNCO jeans today. Develop a marketing strategy that includes target demographics, advertising platforms, and promotional events. Present your strategy to the class and explain why it would succeed.
Participate in a class debate on the topic: “Fashion is a powerful form of rebellion for teenagers.” Use examples from the JNCO jeans story and other fashion trends to support your arguments. Consider both sides of the debate.
Write a reflection on how fashion reflects cultural and social changes. Use JNCO jeans as a case study to explore how fashion trends can symbolize broader societal shifts. Share your reflection with a partner and discuss your insights.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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It’s the 1990s. You’re a cool skateboarding teenager hanging out with your friends, sipping on drinks and doing impressive moves on half-pipes. Suddenly, an adult approaches and asks you to take off your pants. Do you tell your parents something strange is happening? No, because that adult isn’t a weirdo at all; he’s a marketing executive for JNCO jeans, engaging in grassroots marketing. JNCO jeans are the trendiest fashion item, and everyone wants them. He has samples of these ultra wide-leg jeans, which may look ridiculous today, but back then, they were the pants that defied authority and many school dress codes. The story of JNCO’s is next on Throwback.
Haim Rava was born in Morocco and raised in France. Growing up in the 1970s, Haim, who later went by the name Milo, watched a lot of American television. To Milo, America was full of good-looking police officers who wore denim. His father was in the denim sales business, so when Milo and his younger brother Yakov, known as Jacques, moved to Los Angeles, getting into the apparel game was a natural fit. By day, they studied the business, and at night, they learned English with a tutor.
In 1985, with $200,000 in savings, they started a company called RavaTex. Their approach was simple but effective: most retailers had to wait about six months for overseas manufacturers to fill orders, but the Rava brothers owned a factory in Los Angeles and could fill orders in just eight weeks. This allowed their customers to make more of what was selling and less of what wasn’t, making RavaTex an invaluable partner.
The Rava brothers spent years making apparel that would then get another company’s name slapped on it. They were successful, but eventually, they wanted something they could call their own. For inspiration, Milo turned to the Latino community of East Los Angeles, where he found young men who favored a specific style of jeans that were wider around the ankle and hung low on their waists. In an era dominated by Levi’s, Milo believed that a mass-marketed design along these lines could appeal to teens looking for an alternative to classic styles.
RavaTex had a style, but they needed a marketing hook. To capture the urban feel of the jeans, they enlisted Los Angeles graffiti artist Joseph Montalvo, known as Nuke, to design a logo. They settled on the name JNCO, though it was never explicitly made clear what the letters stood for. Some say it was an acronym for “Judge None, Choose One,” while others suggested it meant “Journey of the Chosen Ones.” The Ravas never addressed it, preferring to let the commercial side of the business take a back seat to what they hoped would become a hot new trend.
JNCO’s debuted in 1993, and for a while, not much happened. The jeans were steady sellers in specialty markets and had a home at Merry-Go-Round, where the Ravas had an existing relationship with buyers. However, by the early 1990s, Merry-Go-Round expanded too rapidly and eventually declared bankruptcy in 1996.
Losing their major retail partner turned out to have a silver lining for RavaTex. All those JNCOs being sold at a discount were snatched up by boutiques, which resold them at regular price and introduced the jeans to a whole new market. At the same time, the Ravas recruited marketing guru Steven Sternberg, who had successfully made Bum Equipment a big name in jeans. Sternberg believed that the Ravas needed to pay more attention to the suburban market to grow the brand.
To test this theory, he set up a JNCO booth at a surf trade show in Orlando and took orders for $120,000 worth of merchandise from skate and surf shops. JNCO jeans were about to see the inside of fitting rooms all over the country. After Merry-Go-Round imploded, JNCO started appearing at cool mall shops everywhere, from surf shops to Hot Topic. Many of these stores specialized in brands that felt underground, and shoppers were confronted with jeans that didn’t conform to the standard tapered leg or acid-washed look.
JNCO jeans weren’t adult jeans; they were jeans for teens who wanted to rebel against adults. In the 1990s, 31 million teens were shopping an average of 54 times a year and buying 8 to 12 pairs of jeans annually. The secret was in the wide leg. While typical jeans had a cuff of about 16 inches in circumference, the most popular JNCO style had a 23-inch opening, with some versions exceeding 40 inches.
In a 1998 survey, teens named JNCO the 12th coolest brand, ahead of Calvin Klein and Mountain Dew. The real reason JNCO took over may have more to do with marketing than anything else. RavaTex hired graffiti artists to draw on walls near high school cafeterias in California, where kids could see subversive advertising. The company also sponsored extreme sporting events and their athletes, and JNCO ads popped up in skateboarding magazines.
By 1995, sales of JNCO jeans were reported to be around $36 million, and by 1998, sales reached $186.9 million. At one point, JNCO was responsible for 10% of all sales at PacSun. However, the edges were beginning to fray. Adults weren’t crazy about JNCOs, and some schools tried to ban them due to safety concerns.
RavaTex faced another problem that comes with success: copycat brands like Kickwear introduced wide-leg jeans, taking some market share. Existing brands like Lee tried to create modestly wide-leg jeans, but nothing compared to JNCO’s massive styles.
By 1999, JNCO’s popularity began to decline. Sales dropped significantly, and the brand struggled to maintain its counter-cultural appeal. RavaTex tried to branch out into khakis and market to teenage girls, but the trend was shifting away from baggy jeans to drawstring and cargo pants.
By 2001, RavaTex had closed their massive factory in Los Angeles, shifting production to local contractors. By 2003, the Ravas had largely stepped away from JNCOs, with different licensees reviving it periodically over the years.
In 2019, Milo Rava returned to the brand and relaunched it with the help of his daughter, offering a line of products with a classic 50-inch leg to capture an older, nostalgic consumer.
JNCOs resonated because they had a practical application for skateboarders, fitting easily over knee pads. For most kids, they just wanted to adopt what they perceived to be the style preferred by those on the outskirts of society. The more adults complained, the more kids wanted to wear them. JNCOs were just the latest in a long line of fashion trends that allowed kids to express their identity and make their own choices.
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This version removes any inappropriate or sensitive content while retaining the essence of the original transcript.
Fashion – The prevailing style of clothing, behavior, or way of living at a particular time in history. – During the 1920s, fashion in the United States was heavily influenced by the Jazz Age, leading to the popularity of flapper dresses.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs. – Understanding history helps us learn from past mistakes and shape a better future.
Jeans – A type of pants made from denim, often associated with casual wear and popularized in the 20th century. – Jeans became a symbol of youth culture and rebellion in the 1950s and 1960s.
Teens – Individuals in the age group of thirteen to nineteen years, often associated with a distinct culture and social behavior. – Teens in the 1960s played a significant role in the civil rights movement, advocating for social change.
Style – A particular way of expressing oneself, often through clothing, art, or behavior. – The minimalist style of architecture became popular in the mid-20th century, emphasizing simplicity and function.
Marketing – The action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising. – The marketing strategies of the 1950s often targeted housewives, emphasizing convenience and modernity.
Community – A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. – The African American community played a crucial role in the civil rights movement, fighting for equality and justice.
Trends – A general direction in which something is developing or changing. – Social trends in the 1960s included a move towards greater individual freedom and expression.
Rebellion – An act of violent or open resistance to an established government or ruler. – The American Revolution was a rebellion against British rule, leading to the independence of the United States.
Legacy – Something handed down by a predecessor, often referring to cultural or historical contributions. – The legacy of ancient Rome can be seen in modern legal systems, architecture, and language.
