The wide-legged, slouchy skater jeans that ruled in the 1990s are making a comeback, this time as an all-purpose denim brand. WWD first reported (paywall) that JNCO jeans are rebranding under the ownership of a Chinese trading company.
Simply the mention of the Southern California cult brand JNCO (which stands for “the Journey of the Chosen Ones”) was enough to send many children of the 1990s off on euphoric nostalgia trips.
The Chinese trading company Guotai Litian bought the brand seven months ago for seven figures, the company’s USA CEO, Andrew Jacouvou, tells Quartz, but he wouldn’t give a more specific number. Guotai Litian manufactures apparel for a number of brands, including JNCO, which was founded in Los Angeles in 1985.
To the surprise of many, JNCOs were still being manufactured and sold in specialty stores, Jacouvou says. ”When we actually took over, we’d just delivered a million dollars worth of product to them for that season,” he says.
The company has been reintroducing the jeans at fashion hubs such as the Liberty Fashion Fairs in Las Vegas and New York. The men’s line will launch online in April, and will be in stores at the beginning in July, Jacouvou tells Quartz. But don’t fret, female JNCO fans—your jeans are coming too, next season.
JNCO has been sharing photos of celebrity fashion icons wearing JNCOs, though it’s unclear if they are recent:
Two of the three menswear lines in production seem to fit today’s athleisure trends, as WWD reports: “The core collection features traditional styles including a knit jean with a slouchy fit; the fashion group has joggers with zip bottoms and a drawstring waist.” And for those in the market for some 1990s’ dopeness, “the heritage collection offers leg openings of 20 inches and 23 inches, with high waists. All of the product will feature JNCO’s crown logo.”
Denim pieces will run from $90 to $120, Jacouvou says, and remain true to the company motto: “Challenge conventionalism. Explore the unfamiliar. Honor individuality.”
“We brought it into the 21st century,” he says, “with the same DNA, but for today.”