In early October, Onward Holdings, the Japanese manufacturer and owner of Western brands such as Freed of London and Joseph, laid out a novel and ambitious plan for its only American interest: J. Press, the 123-year-old, Yale-founded maker of natural-shoulder suit jackets, shaggy sweaters, and proper oxfords. In many ways, this represented a radical departure from generations of steady management. Onward first struck a deal with J. Press in 1974 to sell the brand in Japan via a licensing agreement. By 1986, the group had bought J. Press outright, and for the past 40 years, not much has happened with it here in the States. In Japan, Onward has slapped the logo on everything from Beams sweatshirts to dog clothes and operates 80 J. Press locations, so that’s where the majority of the business gets done. (It’s everywhere over there: About 15 years ago, I bought my maltipoo a J. Press puffer jacket on a trip to Tokyo.) The U.S. was a different story. While competitors J.Crew and Brooks Brothers became giant businesses, passing through multiple owners and generating hundreds of millions of dollars a year in sales, J. Press remained firmly stuck in New Haven, save for a couple attempts at expansion with stores in New York (one remains in Midtown) and Washington, D.C.