J. Press is a traditional men's clothier founded in 1902 on

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

's campus in

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, by Jacobi Press. The brand also has stores in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

In 1974, the Press family sold the rights to license J. Press for the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese market, making it the first American brand to be licensed in Japan. In 1986, J. Press was acquired by the Japanese apparel company Onward Kashiyama, which had previously been its licensee for 14 years. Japanese licensed distribution is roughly six times larger than the American-made J. Press. J. Press is currently part of the Onward Group (Onward Holdings, Ltd.). Blazing Red

Style

Jacobi Press immigrated to the US from

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

in 1896 and founded the company six years later. 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 A jacket is a garment for the upper body, usually extending below the hips. A jacket typically has sleeves and fastens in the front or slightly on the side. Jackets without sleeves are vests. A jacket is generally lighter, tighter-fitting, and l ...

in the traditional "three-button sack" style rarely found today in America, and for the most part, only produces plain-front

trousers Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants ( American, Canadian and Australian English) are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending ...

, for which the company suggests a traditional 1"

cuff A cuff is a layer of fabric at the lower edge of the sleeve of a garment (shirt, coat, jacket, etc.) at the wrist, or at the ankle end of a trouser leg. The function of turned-back cuffs is to protect the cloth of the garment from fraying, and, ...

. Fabrics are generally subdued, except for traditionally bright-colored items such as casual

and

sweater A sweater (North American English) or pullover, also called a jersey or jumper (British English, Hiberno-English and Australian English),

s. Its

neckties A necktie, long tie, or simply a tie, is a cloth article of formal neckwear or office attire worn for decorative or symbolic purposes, resting under a folded shirt collar or knotted at the throat, and usually draped down the chest. On rare oc ...

bear traditional repp stripe, foulard, and paisley motifs. They also carry scarves and ties featuring motifs and colors for

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...

schools, including

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

Skull and Bones Skull and Bones (also known as The Order, Order 322 or The Brotherhood of Death) is an undergraduate senior Secret society#Colleges and universities, secret student society at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. The oldest senior-class ...

Society. J. Press dress

overcoat An overcoat is a type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment, which usually extends below the knee. Overcoats are most often used in winter when warmth is more important. They are sometimes confused with or referred to as #T ...

s are of

lambswool Lambswool is wool which is or shorter from the first shearing of a sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other sp ...

, cashmere, or

camel hair Camel hair specifically refers to the fur from the body of a camel, but more generally refers to the fibre (and cloth) that may be made from either pure camel hair or a blend of camel hair and another fibre. Camel hair has two components: ''guard ...

, or of herringbone tweed with a velvet collar in the Chesterfield style. J. Press is said to carry on a traditional Ivy League style of men's clothing. J. Press caters most to an old-fashioned

preppy Preppy (also spelled as preppie, or prep), is an American subculture associated with the alumni of college-preparatory schools in the Northeastern United States. The term, which is an abbreviation of "preparatory", is used to denote a person ...

subculture that eschews popular culture trends. The company makes an effort not to outsource the production of its clothing to

developing countries A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed Secondary sector of the economy, industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. ...

or to use

synthetic materials Synthetic may refer to: Science * Synthetic biology * Synthetic chemical or compound, produced by the process of chemical synthesis * Synthetic elements, chemical elements that are not naturally found on Earth and therefore have to be created in ...

in its line.

Stores

J. Press has three stores in the United States:

, New York City at the

Yale Club The Yale Club of New York City, commonly called The Yale Club, is a gentlemen's club, private club in Midtown Manhattan, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Its membership is restricted almost entirely to alumni and faculty of Yale University. ...

, and

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

. The New Haven store was originally built in 1863 in the

French Second Empire style Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts originating in the Second French Empire. It was characterized by elements of many different historical styles, and al ...

as a residence for Cornelius Pierpont, a prominent local grocer. It was irreparably damaged by Winter Storm Nemo in February 2013; the company is temporarily renting a store at 260 College St., across from the Shubert Theatre. In 1912, the company opened a store in New York City "appropriately equidistant from the

and

Harvard Club The Harvard Club is a private social club for alumni and associates of Harvard University with chapters all over the world. Notable chapters include: * Harvard Club of Boston * Harvard Club of New York * Harvard Club of Washington DC The Harvard ...

s." In May 2007, J. Press moved to 380

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stree ...

in New York City, which closed indefinitely in 2014. On March 1, 2013, J. Press opened another store in New York City, located at 304

Bleecker Street Bleecker Street is an east–west street in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightlife, nightclub district. The street connects a neighborhood popular today for music venues and comedy as well as a ...

, which carried a sub-label of the brand called “J. Press York Street,” that was described by the ''New York Times'' as “a faint outline of the original.” Designed by Shimon and Ariel Ovadia of the clothing brand Ovadia & Sons, York Street was geared towards a younger audience, embracing slimmer fitting clothing with bold colors and patterns. After four seasons, Shimon and Ariel Ovadia left York Street and it was merged into mainline J. Press and renamed “J. Press Blue.” Later in 2013, J. Press's New Haven store on York Street was severely damaged by a storm, and the company began constructing a new storefront while operating out of a temporary location. In 2022, on their 120th Anniversary, J. Press completed their flagship storefront at their historic location on Elm Street. The building adjoins their previous store and also houses J. Press's e-commerce distribution center. In October 2017, J. Press closed the York Street store and opened a new store in

midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

, in the same building as the

. The store was expected to generate 25% of U.S. sales. J. Press formerly had branches in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

(closed in August 2018 after 86 years),

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

J. Press (U.S.)J. Press (Japan)
Clothing brands of the United States Clothing retailers of the United States American companies established in 1902 Clothing companies established in 1902 Retail companies established in 1902 Companies based in New York City Suit makers 1902 establishments in Connecticut

Style

Stores

See also

References

External links