Jordache Enterprises, Inc.
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| Type |
Private |
| Founded |
1969 (incorporated 1978) |
| Founder(s) |
Joe, Ralph, and Avi Nakash |
| Headquarters |
New York City |
| Industry |
Clothing |
| Revenue |
$94 million (1997 sales est.) |
| Employees |
1,000 |
| Website |
http://www.jordache.com |
Jordache Enterprises, Inc. is a clothing company that manufactures (or contracts for the manufacture of) apparel including shirts, jeans, and outerwear. The brand is known for its designer jeans that were popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
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Contents
- 1 History
- 2 Jordache today
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History
Jordache originated in 1969, when brothers Joe, Ralph, and Avi Nakash (Naccache) opened a store in New York City that sold brand-name jeans at a discount. Within a few years, their business had expanded to a four-store chain. In 1977, however, the brothers' largest store was looted and set ablaze during the New York City blackout of 1977.
When they collected $120,000 on their insurance policy, they
incorporated their business (in 1978) and entered the jeans
manufacturing business.They had long been interested in the European denim market, where jeans were more body-conscious and fashion-forward.
The Nakashes' timing was right. At this moment, consumers tastes in jeans were shifting from established brands like Levi's to designer jeans like Gloria Vanderbilt and Calvin Klein.
Jordache jeans themselves, however, were barely distinguishable from
other designer jeans on the market. To set their brand apart, the
brothers plowed one quarter of their annual sales volume ($300,000 of
their own money and $250,000 in loans) into an aggressive 1979 ad campaign. Jordache produced a television commercial starring an apparently topless
woman in tight Jordache jeans riding a horse through the surf. The ad
was rejected by all three major television networks, but independent
New York stations aired it, and Jordache surged to popularity. One
million dollars more was spent on advertising after this, including
full-color ads in national magazines. One promotional gimmick that did
not work out was the Jordache blimp, a poorly-designed airship which
crashed October 8, 1980 at Lakehurst, New Jersey on its maiden flight, en route to a promotional gala.
In the 1980s, the company expanded its reach with expansive licensing
that generated up to $300 million/year in wholesale volume. In 1989,
the company had 100 licensees, manufacturing products as varied as
children's socks, women's outerwear, jewelry, dresses, luggage, and
umbrellas.
In the 1990s,
this strategy appeared to have backfired, and Jordache products slid in
popularity. The company's jeans "lost their cachet, appealing mainly to
inner-city youths and blue-collar workers and typically selling at
discount stores." When Jordache designer diapers were manufactured by a
licensee in 1994, they "seemed to symbolize Jordache's descent in the
marketplace to mass-merchandise stores and discount outlets."
Although
Jordache's popularity had declined in the late 1990s, it continues to
manufacture jeans—among other clothing and brands. In 2004, Jordache Enterprises launched the premier Jordache Vintage line to commemorate its 25th anniversary.
Today, the company designs and manufactures a wide variety of denim, apparel, perfume, cologne, and accessories, some distributed internationally. The brands owned by Jordache Enterprises include Jordache, Earl Jeans, U.S. Polo Association, KIKIT Jeans, Maurice Sasson, Fubu Ladies, Airport, Blue Star, and Gasoline. Jordache Enterprises also manufactures private label denim for well-known companies, including Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi's, and Abercrombie & Fitch, among others.
Through the
initial proceeds from the Jordache label, the Nakash brothers have
expanded their interest into real estate, aviation, high-tech
(cryptography), maritime ventures, and food.
Spokesmodels for Jordache have included Brittany Murphy, Elizabeth Hurley and the current spokesmodel, Heidi Klum.
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