A Brief History Of Jantzen

John A. Zehntbauer, Carl C. Jantzen and C. R. Zehntbauer founded Portland Knitting Company,
the predecessor of Jantzen Inc, in January 1910 in Portland, Oregon. The company was a small
retail store and knitting operation in downtown Portland. The firm manufactured heavy sweaters,
woolen hosiery and other knit goods, and acted as a retailer of apparel products.

The Zehntbauers and Jantzen were great outdoorsmen and members of the Portland Rowing Club.
In 1913 a fellow club member asked if the company could knit a woolen suit suitable for use while
rowing in the rainy winter weather. The rib-stitched suit proved to be a popular product and its
development marked an important turning point for the young company.

While expansion of production continued during and immediately following World War I, swimwear
sales were still a modest part of the firm’s business. Recognizing the value of a brand name for the
new product, Portland Knitting Company was renamed Jantzen Knitting Mills in June 1918.
As swimwear sales increased markedly in the postwar expansion, Jantzen was a leader in
promotion of its new product. In 1920 billboards showing the company’s suits were featured in
San Francisco and Los Angeles. National advertising began in 1921 with ads illustrating Jantzen
suits placed in Vogue and the old Life magazine.

The cover of the 1920 catalog featured an illustration of a diving woman, clad in a red suit
complete with stockings and cap. Some admirers had cut the “Red Diving Girl” from the catalog
and pasted it on the windshields of their automobiles. This fad spread beyond the West Coast
when Jantzen officials pasted them on windows of a train enroute to a Shriners’ convention in
Washington, D.C. The image was adopted as the logo of the company and became recognizable
worldwide. In 1932 it was reported to be the seventh most known trademark in the world.

As the 1930s began, difficult economic times turned into what became known as the “Great
Depression.” This dismal state continued for most of the decade. All business struggled to stay
afloat and the upturn did not come about until 1939. Production of war material for England and
her allies triggered an economic recovery in the United States.