Jockey International - Fashion Company Profile
Jockey International is the privately held, family-owned underwear and apparel company founded in 1876 by Samuel T. Cooper and headquartered in Kenosha, Wisconsin - the company that created the men's Y-Front brief in 1934 and still sells its underwear, socks, thermals and sleepwear in more than 120 countries.
Company Snapshot
- Status
- Operating - a manufacturer and retailer of underwear, sleepwear and apparel basics, sold in more than 120 countries
- Type
- Private - a privately held, family-owned company
- Headquarters
- Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States
- Founded
- 1876, in St. Joseph, Michigan, by Samuel T. Cooper, as a hosiery business serving lumberjacks
Shop Jockey International Now
Shop Jockey International on Amazon Shop Jockey International on eBayThe Amazon and eBay links on this page are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, Apparel Search may earn a commission.
Company Profile
Current ranges are on Jockey's own site, linked above; the shop box covers Jockey products sold through Amazon and eBay. The long record below it - from Cooper's hosiery for lumberjacks through the Cooper Underwear Company, the 1934 brief inspired by a French Riviera postcard, the Jockey Boy figure and the later sportswear lines - is kept in full on the history page, in product terms throughout.
The founding story is a product problem. Samuel T. Cooper, a retired minister, started a hosiery business in St. Joseph, Michigan to help lumberjacks who were suffering from blisters and infections caused by their shoddy wool socks. Consumers learned they could trust him, the filing says, and his tiny hosiery business grew and then expanded into underwear. By 1878, S.T. Cooper & Sons was producing nearly 2,500 pairs of seamless stockings each day. Over the next 25 years Cooper's sons Charles, Henry and Willis became skilled in the business; in 1897 they introduced the Black Cat brand of hosiery for men, women and children, and in 1898 the brothers moved the company into a new direction: men's underwear.
Jockey International History
The earlier record for this company - its history, past brand line-ups, figures and photographs from the periods described - is kept on a separate page for historical reference.
Jockey International History & Historical Profile →Common Questions
Is Jockey a public company?
No. Jockey International, Inc. is privately held and family-owned, and has been since its founding in 1876.
When was Jockey founded, and by whom?
In 1876, by Samuel T. Cooper, a retired minister who started a hosiery business in St. Joseph, Michigan to help lumberjacks suffering from poor-quality wool socks.
What is the Jockey Y-Front brief?
The brief style Jockey created in 1934 - dispensing with leg sections and using a Y-shaped overlapping fly - first sold in January 1935 at Marshall Field's in Chicago, and still the company's signature product.
More Apparel Companies J
Start from the J letter hub, or compare this filing with its closest neighbours in the letter:
Looking for More Fashion Companies?
This profile is one filing in the Apparel Search company names directory. Browse the full A-to-Z listing on the Fashion Company Names directory, or shop by category in the Apparel Search shopping directory.