Jantzen, Inc.

Product Details

Historical Context

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The Jantzen Swimsuit Company was established in 1910 in Portland, Oregon as the Portland Knitting Company. Ten years later they introduced their now famous diving girl logo, which is featured in the left hand side border of this certificate!

The first Jantzen suit weighed 9 pounds when fully soaked, making them extremely heavy in water. They also had the unfortunate tendency of slipping down!

During the inter-war years of the late 1920s and early 1930s the company established overseas manufacturing facilities and sales teams, notably in Europe. By 1932, Jantzen was reportedly the seventh most known trademark in the world.

In the 1940s, business perked up after Jantzen added sweaters, girdles and activewear to its basic swimwear line. The bikini was introduced in France in 1946 to set the style for brevity in swimwear and became a worldwide fashion classic.

In the 1950s, fashion designer Maurice Levin popularized the trend of the color pink worn on men through the Jantzen brand.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Jantzen recognized that working women wanted attractive beachwear for weekends and vacations. In some resort areas, swim separates, cover-ups, and ankle-length beach skirts completed many swimsuit ensembles. Jantzen began to work with nylon and spandex to add stretch that holds shape. Jantzen also introduced a Trikini, combining a string bikini worn underneath a lacy, semi-transparent maillot.

In 1980, Jantzen was purchased by Blue Bell, and Blue Bell was acquired by Vanity Fair Corporation in 1986. This acquisition was a disaster for Jantzen and led to its demise. In 1995, the company dropped the production of menswear to concentrate on women's apparel, returning to its roots in swimsuits. In 2002, the Jantzen trademark was purchased by Perry Ellis International, Inc. In 2019, Perry Ellis International, Inc. sold the Jantzen brand to Jantzen Brands Corporation.

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