Jack Winter, Inc
Jack Winter, Inc. was a Milwaukee-based clothing manufacturer from the 1930s through the late 1980s. The company became an industry leader in women’s sportswear and knitwear, setting trends around women’s pants, polyester sportswear, and mixing and matching affordable, fashionable separates.
Founder Jack Winter (1909-1991) began by making men’s pants at his father’s clothing store at N. 3rd St. and W. Highland Ave. in Milwaukee in the 1930s. An early factory (late 1930s-1960s) was located near 159 W. James St. in Columbus, Wisconsin. Winter was one of the first to design and mass manufacture women’s slacks in 1953, and by the late 1950s he successfully introduced women’s stretch pants and was phasing out his men’s wear.
In the 1960s Jack Winter, Inc. became a public company. By the end of that decade the company was capitalizing on polyester to create wrinkle-free sportswear for women tired of ironing. Though the focus shifted to natural fibers in the late 1970s and 1980s, the company continued to produce good quality coordinating separates at a moderate price. Their clothing could be found in catalogs and in major stores nationwide, including Bloomingdale’s, Marshall Field’s, and Macy’s, and Chapman’s and Gimbels in Milwaukee.
In addition, Jack Winter, Inc. operated approximately 100 Clothesworks stores, a discount women’s clothing chain, across the country.
Jack Winter was also an art collector, and he brought art collections to department stores to increase access to art. In September 1974, he worked with the airline Braniff International to present the art show “South America with Flying Colors” at Gimbels in downtown Milwaukee, alongside his new fall designs. The show featured paintings and artwork by artists from numerous South American countries. Several Jack Winter, Inc. collections were travel-tested and photographed in Peru and Haiti.
Jack Winter retired in 1986 and died in 1991. His sons Michael and Jack Jr. were also involved in the business, which also used the name Jack Winter Apparel, Inc. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1988.
The sketches, photographs, and advertisements below were used to promote Jack Winter, Inc. clothing, largely in the 1970s. The bottom section is advertisements and content from Wendy Winter, a division of Jack Winter, Inc.
Wendy Winter, a division of Jack Winter, Inc.
