In 1985, in LA, two French immigrants, the Revah brothers, opened their Jean business. The two founders, Jacques and Haim, also known as Milo Revah, were inspired by the late 80s Latino fashion culture in Los Angeles, California. They started their company with only $200,000 in the bank in their mid-late 20s.
From a young age, the two boys were surrounded by denim. According to a 2024 article, ¨His father was in the denim sales business” (mentalfloss). Making it inevitable for two young business majors not to start a Jean brand.
The Company’s financials skyrocketed in 1998 to 186.9 million dollars in sales. How did this company rise to fame?
The outburst of these baggy, wide-fit jeans caused an epidemic in the fashion industry. Making other brands, including Levi’s, Guess, and Wrangler, conform to the fashion trends of the time. This caused one of the most popular jeans of today, like Levi’s 501s.
In the late 90s, JNCO peaked with pieces like ¨302 Graff Jeans¨ and ¨The Muzzle Carpenter Jeans¨. This change from the basic, straightforward Levi’s jeans caused an outbreak in the industry.
Once the early 2000s came, the fashion trend slowly fizzled out. The once baggy jeans of the 90s became the tight skinny fit jeans of the early 2000s. This caused one of the biggest jean companies in the US to shut down in January of 2000.
In 2019, Milo’s daughter, Camilla Revah, relaunched the brand, and it quickly became the new craze of the thrifting and alternative communities.
Today, 90s fashion is getting a second chance. The era is being revived. These days, teens across the country are styling themselves with the same grungy vintage tees and baggy loose-fit jeans.
The jeans today are a fan-favorite for many thrifters and vintage collectors. Savannah Guy stated, “My JNCOs are definitely the most comfortable and probably the most well-fitting jeans I own.”
JNCOs are probably the most sought-after 90s fashion piece of today. Most vintage pairs sell for 50-550+ bucks on eBay, showing how sought after these pieces are. Despite the price tag, teens and kids still seem to be obsessed with obtaining a pair.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/648359/jnco-jeans-history
https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/jnco-history/
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-18-fi-38109-story.html
