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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy
Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )
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Filed by the Registrant
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Filed by a Party other than the Registrant
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Check the appropriate box:
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Preliminary Proxy Statement
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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
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Definitive Proxy Statement
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Definitive Additional Materials
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Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12
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JOE'S JEANS INC.
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(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
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(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)
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Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
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No fee required.
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Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(1) and 0-11.
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(1)
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Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
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(2)
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Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
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(3)
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Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (set forth the amount on which the filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
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(4)
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Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
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(5)
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Total fee paid:
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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
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Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or
Schedule and the date of its filing.
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(1)
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Amount Previously Paid:
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(2)
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Form, Schedule or Registration Statement No.:
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(3)
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Filing Party:
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(4)
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Date Filed:
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JOE'S JEANS INC.
5901 South Eastern Avenue
Commerce, California 90040
(323) 837-3700
September 23,
2008
Dear
Stockholder:
You
are cordially invited to attend the 2008 annual meeting of stockholders of Joe's Jeans Inc., or Joe's, which will be held at the Doubletree Hotel, 5757 Telegraph Road,
Commerce, California 90040, (near Los Angeles, California), on Thursday, November 6, 2008. The 2008 annual meeting of stockholders will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m. local time.
The
accompanying notice of annual meeting and proxy statement, which you are urged to read carefully, provides important information regarding the business to be conducted at the annual
meeting.
You
are requested to complete, date and sign the enclosed proxy card and promptly return it in the enclosed envelope, whether or not you plan to attend the annual meeting. If you do
attend the meeting, you may vote in person even if you have submitted a proxy card. REGARDLESS OF THE NUMBER OF SHARES YOU OWN OR WHETHER YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE ANNUAL MEETING, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT
YOUR SHARES BE REPRESENTED AND VOTED. If you hold your shares in "street name" (that is, through a broker, bank or other nominee), please review the instructions on the proxy forwarded by your broker,
bank or other nominee regarding the option, if
any, to vote on the Internet or by telephone. If you plan to attend the meeting in person, please remember to bring a form of personal identification with you and, if you are acting as a proxy for
another stockholder, please bring written confirmation from the record owner that you are acting as a proxy.
On
behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank you for your support and continued interest in our company.
This notice of annual meeting and proxy statement and proxy are first being mailed on or about September 25, 2008 to our common
stockholders.
JOE'S JEANS INC.
5901 South Eastern Avenue
Commerce, California 90040
(323) 837-3700
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008
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Time and Date
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9:00 a.m., local time on Thursday, November 6, 2008
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Place
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The Doubletree Hotel, 5757 Telegraph Road, Commerce, California 90040
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Items of Business
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(1) To elect seven directors to serve on the Board of Directors until the 2009 annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors are elected and qualified;
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(2) To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2008; and
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(3) To transact such other business as may properly come before the annual meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
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Record Date
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You can vote if, at the close of business on September 22, 2008, you were a holder of record of our common stock.
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Proxy Voting
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All stockholders are cordially invited to attend the Annual Meeting in person. However, to ensure your representation at the Annual Meeting, you are urged to vote promptly by signing and returning the enclosed proxy card, or if you hold your shares
in street name, by accessing the worldwide website or toll-free number indicated on the voting instructions accompanying your proxy card to vote via the Internet or phone.
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By Order of the Board of Directors,
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Samuel J. Furrow
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Commerce, California
September 23, 2008
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PAGE
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STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
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1
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS AND THE ANNUAL MEETING
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2
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PROPOSAL 1ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
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8
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PROPOSAL 2RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
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EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
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COMPENSATION COMMITTEE INTERLOCKS AND INSIDER PARTICIPATION
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COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
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COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
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REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
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RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
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SECTION 16 BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
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FEES PAID TO THE INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
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OTHER BUSINESS TO BE TRANSACTED
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STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
This proxy statement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These forward-looking statements relate to the financial condition, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategies, capital and other expenditures, competitive positions,
growth opportunities for existing products, plans and objectives of management and other matters. Statements in this document that are not historical facts are identified as forward-looking statements
for the purpose of the safe harbor provided by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933.
When
we use the words "anticipate," "estimate," "project," "intend," "expect," "plan," "believe," "should," "likely" and similar expressions, we are making forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements are found at various places throughout this proxy statement and the other documents we incorporate by reference in this proxy statement. We caution you not to place
undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. We do not undertake any obligation to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking
statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this proxy statement or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
These
forward-looking statements, including statements relating to future business prospects, revenues, working capital, liquidity, capital needs and income, wherever they occur in this
proxy statement, are estimates reflecting our best judgment. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those suggested by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements should, therefore, be considered in light of various important factors, including those set forth in this proxy statement
and those discussed from time to time in our Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, reports, including our annual report on Form 10-K, Amendment No. 1 on
Form 10-K/A for the year ended November 30, 2007 filed with the SEC on February 28, 2008 and March 28, 2008, respectively. You
should read and consider carefully the information about these and other risks set forth under the caption "Risk Factors" in such filings.
1
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS
AND THE ANNUAL MEETING
Although we encourage you to read the proxy statement in its entirety, we include these "Questions and Answers" to provide background
information and brief answers to several questions that you may have about the proxy materials in general.
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Q:
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Why am I receiving these materials?
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A:
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The Board of Directors of Joe's Jeans, or our Board of Directors, is providing these proxy materials to you
in connection with our annual meeting of stockholders, which will take place on Thursday, November 6, 2008. Our common stockholders are invited to attend the annual meeting and are entitled to
and requested to vote on the proposals described in this proxy statement.
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Q:
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What information is contained in this proxy statement?
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A:
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The information included in this proxy statement relates to the proposals to be voted on at the annual
meeting, the voting process, information including compensation concerning directors and our most highly paid executive officers, and certain other required information.
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Q:
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What proposals will be voted on at the annual meeting?
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A:
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The proposals scheduled to be voted on at the annual meeting are:
(1) To
elect seven directors to serve on the Board of Directors until the 2009 annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors are elected and qualified;
(2) To
ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2008.
(3) Such
other business as may properly come before the annual meeting of stockholders or any adjournment or postponement thereof.
We
will also consider any other business that properly comes before the annual meeting.
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Q:
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How does the Board of Directors recommend that I vote?
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A:
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Our Board of Directors unanimously recommends that you vote your
shares:
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"FOR"
each of the nominees to the Board of Directors;
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"FOR"
the ratification of the appointment of Ernst &
Young LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2008.
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What shares can I vote?
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A:
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Each share of our common stock issued and outstanding as of the close of business on September 22,
2008, or the Record Date, is entitled to vote for all proposals being voted upon at the annual meeting. You may cast one vote per share of common stock held by you as of the Record Date. These shares
include shares that are (1) held directly in your name as the common stockholder of record, and (2) shares held for you as the beneficial owner through a broker, bank or other nominee.
As of September 22, 2008, we had 59,826,974 shares of common stock issued and outstanding and 879 common stockholders of record.
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Q:
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What is the difference between holding shares as a common stockholder of record and as a beneficial
owner?
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A:
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Most of our common stockholders hold their shares through a broker, bank or other nominee rather than
directly in their own name. As summarized below, there are some distinctions between shares held of record and those owned beneficially.
Common Stockholder of Record
If
your shares are registered directly in your name with our transfer agent, Continental Stock Transfer and Trust Company, you are considered with respect to those shares the common stockholder of
record and these proxy materials are being sent directly to you by us. As the common stockholder of record, you have the right to grant your voting proxy directly to us or to vote in person at the
annual meeting. We have enclosed a proxy card for you to use.
Beneficial Owner
If
your shares are held in a brokerage account or by a bank or other nominee, you are considered the beneficial owner of shares of our common stock held in street name, and these proxy materials are
being forwarded to you by your broker, bank or nominee who is considered with respect to those shares the common stockholder of record. As the beneficial owner, you have the right to direct your
broker, bank or other nominee on how to vote and are also invited to attend the annual meeting. However, since you are not the common stockholder of record, you may not vote these shares in person at
the annual meeting unless you obtain a legal proxy from the broker, bank, or nominee that holds your shares giving you the right to vote the shares at the annual meeting. Your broker, bank or nominee
has enclosed a voting instruction card for you to use in directing the broker or nominee regarding how to vote your shares. You may also be able to vote your shares by Internet or telephone as
described below under "How can I vote my shares without attending the annual meeting?"
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Q:
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How can I attend the annual meeting?
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A:
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You are entitled to attend the annual meeting only if you are a Joe's common stockholder of record as of the
close of business on Record Date or you hold a valid proxy for the annual meeting. You should be prepared to present photo identification for admittance. If you are not a common stockholder of record,
but hold the shares through a broker, bank or nominee (i.e., in street name), you should provide proof of beneficial ownership on the Record Date, such as your most recent account statement
prior to September 22, 2008, a copy of the voting instruction card provided by your broker, bank or nominee, or other similar evidence of ownership. If you do not provide photo identification
or comply with the other procedures outlined above upon request, you will not be admitted to the annual meeting.
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Q:
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How can I vote my shares in person at the annual meeting?
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A:
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Shares held in your name as the common stockholder of record may be voted in person at the annual meeting.
Shares held beneficially in street name may be voted in person only if you obtain a legal proxy from your broker, bank or other nominee that holds your shares giving you the right to vote the shares.
Even if you plan to
attend the annual meeting, we recommend that you also submit your proxy or voting instructions as described below so that your vote will be counted if you
later decide not to attend the meeting.
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Q:
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How can I vote my shares without attending the annual meeting?
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A:
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Whether you hold your shares directly as the common stockholder of record or beneficially in street name, you
may direct how your shares are voted without attending the meeting. If you are a
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common
stockholder of record, you may vote by submitting a proxy. If you hold shares beneficially in street name, you may vote by submitting voting instructions to your broker, bank or nominee. For
directions on how to vote, please refer to the instructions below and those included on your proxy card, or for shares held beneficially in street name, you may vote by submitting voting instructions
to your broker, bank or nominee.
By Mail
Our common stockholders of record may submit proxies by completing, signing and dating their proxy cards and mailing them in the
accompanying pre-paid, pre-addressed envelope. Our common stockholders who hold shares beneficially in street name may vote by mail by completing, signing and dating the voting
instruction card provided by their broker, bank or nominee and mailing them in the accompanying pre-addressed envelope.
By Internet
Most of our common stockholders who hold shares beneficially in street name may vote by accessing the website specified on the
voting instruction cards provided by their brokers, banks or nominees. Please check the voting instruction card for Internet voting availability.
By Telephone
Most of our common stockholders who hold shares beneficially in street name may vote by phone by calling the number specified
on the voting instruction cards provided by their brokers, banks or nominees. Please check the voting instruction card for telephone voting availability.
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Q:
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May I change my vote?
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A:
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You may change your vote at any time prior to the vote at the annual meeting. If you are a common stockholder
of record, you may change your vote by granting a new proxy card bearing a later date (which automatically revokes the earlier proxy), by providing written notice of revocation to our Corporate
Secretary prior to your shares being voted, or by attending the annual meeting and voting in person. Attendance at the annual meeting will not cause your previously granted proxy to be revoked unless
you specifically so request. For shares you hold beneficially in street name, you may change your vote by submitting new voting instructions to your broker, bank or nominee, or, if you have obtained a
legal proxy from your broker, bank or nominee giving you the right to vote your shares, by attending the meeting and voting in person.
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Q:
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Is my vote confidential?
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A:
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Proxy instructions, ballots and voting tabulations that identify individual common stockholders are handled
in a manner that protects your voting privacy. Your vote will not be disclosed either within our company or to third parties, except: (1) as necessary to meet applicable legal requirements,
(2) to allow for the tabulation of votes and certification of the vote, and (3) to facilitate a successful proxy solicitation. If a common stockholder submits a proxy card with a written
comment, then that proxy card will be forwarded to our management.
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Q:
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How many shares must be present or represented to conduct business at the annual
meeting?
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A:
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The quorum requirement for holding the annual meeting and for transacting business is that the holders of a
majority of shares of our common stock entitled to vote must be present in person or represented by proxy. Your shares will be counted for purposes of determining if there is a quorum, whether
representing votes for, against, withheld or abstained, if you:
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are present and vote at the annual meeting; or
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properly submit a proxy card or vote over the Internet or by telephone.
Broker
non-votes are counted as present for the purpose of determining the existence of a quorum at the annual meeting.
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Q:
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How are votes counted?
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A:
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For the election of directors, you may vote
"FOR"
all of the
nominees or your vote may be
"WITHHELD"
for one or more of the nominees. For the other items of business, you may vote
"FOR,"
"AGAINST"
or
"ABSTAIN."
If you
"ABSTAIN,"
the abstention has the same effect as
a vote
"AGAINST"
the proposal. If you provide specific instructions with regard to certain items, your shares will be voted as you instruct on such
items. If you sign your proxy card or voting instruction card without giving specific instructions, your shares will be voted in accordance with the recommendations of the Board of Directors.
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Q:
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What happens if I do not give specific voting instructions?
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A:
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If you hold shares in your name, and you sign and return a proxy card without giving specific voting
instructions, the proxyholder will vote your shares in the manner recommended by our Board of Directors on all matters presented in this proxy statement, and, with respect to any other matters that
properly come before the annual meeting, as the proxyholder may determine in his discretion.
If
you hold your shares through a broker, bank or other nominee and you do not provide your broker with specific voting instructions, your broker may vote your shares on routine matters, but not on
non-routine matters. As a result, your broker may vote your shares without your instructions with respect to Proposal 1 (election of directors) and Proposal 2 (ratification of independent
registered public accounting firm) because these matters are considered routine.
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Q:
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Who will count the vote?
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A:
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A representative of Continental Stock Transfer and Trust Company will tabulate the votes up until the morning
of the meeting. At the meeting, our inspector of election will tabulate the votes.
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Q:
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Who will serve as inspector of election?
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A:
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Ms. Lori Nembirkow, our Corporate Secretary, will serve as our inspector of election.
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Q:
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What is the voting requirement to approve each of the proposals?
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A:
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For the election of directors, the seven persons receiving a plurality of
"FOR"
votes at the annual meeting will be elected.
All other proposals require the affirmative
"FOR"
vote of a majority of those shares present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote on those proposals at the annual meeting. If you hold shares beneficially in street name and do not
provide your broker with voting instructions, your shares may constitute "broker non-votes." Generally, broker non-votes occur on a matter when a broker is not permitted to
vote on that matter without instructions from the beneficial owner and instructions are not given. Brokers may vote your shares with respect to Proposal 1 and Proposal 2 since each is a routine
matter. If the broker is not instructed with respect to any proposals other than Proposals 1 and 2, the shares will constitute broker non-votes. In tabulating the voting results for any
particular proposal, shares that constitute broker non-votes are not considered entitled to vote on that proposal. Thus, broker non-votes will not be counted in the vote total.
Abstentions have the same effect as votes against the matter.
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Q:
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What happens if additional proposals are presented at the annual meeting?
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A:
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Other than the two proposals described in this proxy statement, we are not aware of any other business to be
acted upon at the annual meeting. If you grant a proxy, the person named as proxyholder, Marc Crossman, will have the discretion to vote your shares on any additional matters properly presented for a
vote at the meeting. If for any unforeseen reason any of our nominees for our Board of Directors is not available as a candidate, the persons named as proxyholders will vote your proxy for such other
candidate or candidates as may be nominated by the Board of Directors.
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Q:
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What should I do if I receive more than one set of voting materials?
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A:
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You may receive more than one set of voting materials, including multiple copies of this proxy statement and
multiple proxy cards or voting instruction cards. For example, if you hold your shares in more than one brokerage account, you may receive a separate voting instruction card for each brokerage account
in which you hold shares. If you are a common stockholder of record and your shares are registered in more than one name, you will receive more than one proxy card. Please complete, sign, date and
return each proxy card and voting instruction card that you receive.
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Q:
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Who will bear the costs of soliciting votes for the annual meeting?
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A:
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We are making this solicitation and will pay the entire cost of preparing, assembling, printing, mailing and
distributing these proxy materials and soliciting votes. In addition to the mailing of these proxy materials, the solicitation of proxies or votes may be made in person, by telephone or by electronic
communication by our directors, officers and employees, who will not receive any additional compensation for such solicitation activities.
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Q:
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Where can I find the results of the annual meeting?
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A:
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We will announce preliminary voting results at the annual meeting and publish final results in a Current
Report on Form 8-K to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, within four days after the annual meeting.
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Q:
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Where can I obtain a copy of Joe's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Amendment No. 1 for the year ended
November 30, 2007?
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A:
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A copy of our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Amendment No. 1 for the year ended
November 30, 2007 are enclosed with this proxy statement.
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Q:
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What if I share an address with another common stockholder?
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A:
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In some instances, we may deliver to multiple common stockholders sharing a common address only one copy of
this proxy statement and its attachments. If requested by phone or in writing, we will promptly provide a separate copy of the proxy statement and its attachments to a common stockholder sharing an
address with another common stockholder. Requests by phone should be directed to our Corporate Secretary at (323) 837-3700 and requests in writing should be sent to Joe's
Jeans Inc., Attention: Corporate Secretary, 5901 South Eastern Avenue, Commerce, California 90040. Our common stockholders sharing an address who currently receive multiple copies and wish to
receive only a single copy should contact their broker or send a signed, written request to us at the address above.
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Q:
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What is the deadline to propose actions for consideration at next year's annual meeting of
stockholders?
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A:
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You may submit proposals, including director nominations, for consideration at future common stockholder
meetings. We expect to hold our 2009 annual meeting of stockholders in or around late October of 2009. Our common stockholders may submit proposals that they believe should be voted upon at the 2009
annual meeting consistent with regulations of the SEC and our bylaws.
Pursuant
to Rule 14a-8 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, some stockholder proposals may be eligible for inclusion in our 2009 proxy statement. Any such stockholder
proposals must be submitted in writing to and received by the Corporate Secretary of Joe's Jeans at 5901 South Eastern Avenue, Commerce, California 90040 no later than May 10, 2009. The
submission of a stockholder proposal does not guarantee that it will be included in our proxy statement.
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A
stockholder may also submit a proposal for consideration outside of Rule 14a-8. Pursuant to Rule 14a-4(c)(1), a stockholder may submit a proposal for
consideration at the annual meeting. Any such stockholder proposals to be considered at the annual meeting must be submitted in writing to and received by our Corporate Secretary no later than
July 24, 2009 to be
considered timely. The submission of a stockholder proposal does not guarantee that it will be presented at the annual meeting.
Our
common stockholders interested in submitting a proposal are advised to contact knowledgeable legal counsel with regard to the detailed requirements of applicable federal securities laws and the
our bylaws, as applicable.
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Q:
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How can I communicate with the Board of Directors?
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A:
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Stockholders may communicate with the Board of Directors by sending a letter to the Board of Directors of
Joe's Jeans, Inc., c/o Office of Corporate Secretary, 5901 South Eastern Avenue, Commerce, California 90040. Each communication must contain a clear notation indicating that it is a
"StockholderBoard Communication" or "StockholderDirector Communication," and each communication must identify the author as a stockholder. The office of the Corporate
Secretary will receive the correspondence and forward it to the Chairman of the Board or to any individual director or directors to whom the communication is directed, unless the communication is
unduly hostile, threatening, illegal, does not reasonably relate to us or our business, or is similarly inappropriate. The office of the Corporate Secretary has authority to discard any inappropriate
communications or to take other appropriate actions with respect to any inappropriate communications.
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Q:
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How do I recommend a candidate for election as a director?
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A:
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Stockholders who wish to recommend a candidate for election as a director at our 2009 annual meeting must
submit their recommendations no later than May 10, 2009. Stockholders may recommend candidates for consideration by the Board of Directors' Nominating and Governance Committee by providing
written notice to Joe's Jeans, Inc., c/o Office of Corporate Secretary, 5901 South Eastern Avenue, Commerce, California 90040. The written notice must provide the candidate's name, age,
business and residence addresses, biographical data, including principal occupation, qualifications, the number and class of our shares, if any, beneficially owned by the candidate, and all other
information regarding candidates required by Section 14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. A written statement from the
candidate consenting to be named as a candidate and, if nominated and elected, to serve as a director should accompany any stockholder recommendation. Any stockholder who wishes to recommend a nominee
for election as director must also provide his, her or its name and address, the number and class of shares beneficially owned by the stockholder, a description of all arrangements or understandings
relating to the nomination among the stockholder making the nomination, the proposed nominee and any other person or persons (including their names), and all other information regarding the
stockholder required by Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
7
JOE'S JEANS INC.
5901 SOUTH EASTERN AVENUE
COMMERCE, CALIFORNIA 90040
PROXY STATEMENT
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008
PROPOSAL 1
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
Our bylaws provide that our Board of Directors will consist of not less than three directors, with the exact number of directors
(subject to such minimum and any range of size established by our common stockholders) to be determined by resolution of our Board of Directors. Currently, the number of directors has been set at
seven. At our annual meeting, seven directors will be elected to serve until the 2009 annual meeting of stockholders, which we expect to hold around late October of 2009. Our Board of Directors'
nominees for election are set forth below.
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Q:
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What is the vote required to approve Proposal 1?
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A:
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Our Board of Directors will be elected by a plurality vote. Unless otherwise instructed on the proxy,
properly executed proxies will be voted for the election of all of the director nominees set forth below. Our Board of Directors believes that all such nominees will stand for election and will serve
if elected. However, if any of the persons nominated by the Board of Directors fails to stand for election or is unable to accept election, proxies will be voted by the proxy holders for the election
of such other person or persons as the Board of Directors may recommend.
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Q:
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How does the Board of Directors recommend I vote?
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A:
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Our Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote
"FOR"
the director nominees listed below.
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Q:
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What information is provided with respect to nominees to the Board of Directors?
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A:
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The following table sets forth information regarding our nominees to our Board of Directors:
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|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
|
Year First Elected Director
|
|
Samuel J. (Sam) Furrow
|
|
|
66
|
|
Chairman of the Board of Directors
|
|
|
1998
|
|
Marc B. Crossman
|
|
|
36
|
|
Chief Executive Officer, President, and Director
|
|
|
1999
|
|
Joe Dahan
|
|
|
40
|
|
Creative Director and Director
|
|
|
2007
|
|
Kelly Hoffman(1)(2)(3)
|
|
|
50
|
|
Director
|
|
|
2004
|
|
Thomas O'Riordan(1)(2)(3)
|
|
|
52
|
|
Director
|
|
|
2006
|
|
Suhail R. Rizvi(1)(2)
|
|
|
42
|
|
Director
|
|
|
2003
|
|
Kent Savage(2)(3)
|
|
|
46
|
|
Director
|
|
|
2003
|
|
-
(1)
-
Member
of the Audit Committee
-
(2)
-
Member
of the Compensation and Stock Option Committee
-
(3)
-
Member
of the Nominating and Governance Committee
8
-
Q:
-
What is the business experience of the nominees for election to our Board of
Directors?
-
A:
-
The business experience of our nominees for election to our Board of Directors is as follows:
Samuel J. (Sam) Furrow
has served as Chairman of our Board of Directors since October 1998. Mr. Furrow became a member of our Board of Directors
in April 1998 and served as our Chief Executive Officer from October 1998 until December 2000. Mr. Furrow also has been Chairman of the Board of Furrow Auction Company, a real estate and
equipment sales company with its headquarters in Knoxville, Tennessee, since April 1968; Chairman of Furrow-Justice Machinery Corporation, a six-branch industrial and construction
equipment dealer, since 1983; owner of Knoxville Motor Company-Mercedes Benz and Land Rover of Knoxville since December 1980 and July 1997, respectively. Mr. Furrow received his undergraduate
and J.D. degree from the University of Tennessee. Sam Furrow is the father of our former Chief Executive Officer and former Director, Samuel J. (Jay) Furrow, Jr.
Marc B. Crossman
has served as our Chief Executive Officer since January 2006, our President since September 2004 and a member of our Board of Directors
since January 1999. From March 2003 until August 2007, Mr. Crossman served as our Chief Financial Officer. From January 1999 until March 2003, Mr. Crossman served as a Vice President and
Equity Analyst with J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., New York City, New York. From September 1997 until January 1999, Mr. Crossman served as a Vice President and Equity Analyst with CIBC
Oppenheimer Corporation. Mr. Crossman received his B.S. degree in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University.
Joe Dahan
has served as the president and head designer for our Joe's Jeans Subsidiary, Inc. since its formation in February 2001 and as our
Creative Director and member of our Board of Directors since October 2007. Mr. Dahan is responsible for the design, development and marketing of Joe's products. From 1996 until 2001,
Mr. Dahan was the head designer for Azteca Production International, Inc., or Azteca, where he was responsible for the design, development and merchandising of product lines developed by
Azteca. Azteca, which is owned by two of our stockholders, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of denim related products. From 1989 until 1996, Mr. Dahan was engaged in the design and
development of apparel products for a company of which he was an owner and operator.
Kelly Hoffman
has served as a member of our Board of Directors since June 2004. Mr. Hoffman has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors and
Chief Executive Officer of Varsity Media Group Inc., a new media company dedicated to teenagers, since he founded the company in 1998. From 1991 until 1998, Mr. Hoffman owned AOCO
Operating, a company that raised capital for the acquisition of property in Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico. From 1989 until 1991, Mr. Hoffman served in a similar position for Texakoma
Financial, an oil and gas partnership that raised capital for acquisition of property in Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico. Prior to that, Mr. Hoffman served in various sales and marketing
positions for PAZ Syndicate, a conglomerate based in Tel Aviv, Israel that owned diverse interests worldwide. Prior to that, Mr. Hoffman specialized in securing capital from investors for
investment in various limited partnerships for the oil and gas industry for Paso Energy. Mr. Hoffman began his oil and gas career at Amoco Production Company in Texas in various positions.
Mr. Hoffman attended Texas Tech University and majored in Business Administration.
Thomas O'Riordan
has served as a member of our Board of Directors since April 2006. Since March 2007, Mr. O'Riordan has served as Chief Executive
Officer of American Sporting Goods Corporation, a privately held manufacturer and retailer of athletic footwear with such brands as And1, Avia, Ryka, Yukon, Triple 5 Soul, NSS and Nevados. From 2004
to 2007, Mr. O'Riordan acted in an executive consulting and advisory capacity to the senior management team of Fila Holding Company, a publicly traded manufacturer and retailer of branded
footwear, apparel and accessories, and to other investment advisors and funds in the retail and consumer products sector.
9
From
1999 to 2004, Mr. O'Riordan served in various executive management capacities with Fila Holding Company, ultimately serving as Chief Executive Officer from 2003 to 2004. From 1995 until
1998, Mr. O'Riordan served as Director of Operations of Adidas America, a publicly traded manufacturer and retailer of branded athletic footwear, apparel and accessories. From 1988 to 1995,
Mr. O'Riordan was President of Tom O'Riordan & Associates, a sales and marketing company focused on the athletic footwear, apparel and sporting goods industries. Mr. O'Riordan
began his career in sales for Brooks Shoe Company. Mr. O'Riordan received his B.S. degree in Marketing and Management from Rider University.
Suhail R. Rizvi
has served as a member of our Board of Directors since April 2003. Since 2004, Mr. Rizvi has served as founder and Chief
Investment Officer of Rizvi--Traverse Management LLC and other related funds. Mr. Rizvi has over twenty years of private equity investing experience for his own account and as a
fiduciary for institutional investors through various entities or funds as founder, principal or manager. Mr. Rizvi also serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of AG Holdings, a
diversified investment company with interests in various manufacturing companies and as a member of the Board of Directors for International Creative Management, Inc. a global talent and
literary agency. Mr. Rizvi received his B.S. degree in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and sits on the Wharton Undergraduate Executive Board.
Kent Savage
has served as a member of our Board of Directors since July 2003. Since June 2006, Mr. Savage has served as Founder and CEO of
Famecast, Inc., a privately held online entertainment property. From January 2004 until June 2005, Mr. Savage served as Chief Executive Officer for Digital Lifestyles Group, Inc.
(DLFG.PK), a publicly traded manufacturer and distributor of personal computers. From September 2002 until February 2003, Mr. Savage served as co-founder, Chief Sales and Marketing
Officer for TippingPoint Technologies (NASDAQ: TPTI). From February 1999 until August 2001, Mr. Savage served as co-founder, CEO and President for Netpliance, Inc. From April
1998 until February 1999, Mr. Savage served as General Manager, Broadband for Cisco Systems Inc. Service Provider Line of Business. From July 1996 until April 1998, Mr. Savage
served as Vice President, Sales and Marketing for NetSpeed, Inc. Mr. Savage received his B.S. degree in Business from Oklahoma State University, attended University of Virginia's
Executive Leadership Program, and received his M.B.A. degree from Southern Methodist University.
-
Q:
-
How are the Board of Directors elected and how many meetings were held in fiscal
2007?
-
A:
-
Each member of our Board of Directors is elected at the annual meeting of stockholders and serves until the
next annual meeting of stockholders and until a successor has been elected and qualified or his earlier death, resignation or removal. Vacancies on the Board of Directors are filled by a majority vote
of the remaining Board of Directors. Our Board of Directors manages us through board meetings and through its committees. During fiscal 2007, our Board of Directors met or acted through written
consent a total of 13 times. No incumbent member of our Board of Directors who served as a director in fiscal 2007 attended in person or via teleconference less than 75% of all the meetings of our
Board of Directors and the committees on which he served during fiscal 2007. Although we do not have a formal policy regarding attendance at our annual meeting of stockholders, we attempt to
accommodate the schedules of each member of our Board of Directors in choosing a date for our annual meeting of stockholders and our annual meeting of our Board of Directors. In fiscal 2007, all of
our members of our Board of Directors attended the annual meeting of our Board of Directors either in person or via teleconference and all but one member of our Board of Directors attended our annual
meeting of stockholders.
-
Q:
-
What committees does the Board of Directors have?
-
A:
-
Our Board of Directors has an Audit Committee, Compensation and Stock Option Committee and Nominating and
Governance Committee.
10
Audit Committee.
The Audit Committee is currently comprised of Messrs. Rizvi, Hoffman, and O'Riordan. Mr. Rizvi serves as
Chairman of the Audit Committee. The Audit Committee met or acted through written consent a total of five times in fiscal 2007.
The
Audit Committee has been established to: (a) assist our Board of Directors in its oversight responsibilities regarding (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our
compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) the independent accountant's qualifications and independence and (4) the performance of the our internal audit function;
(b) prepare the report required by the SEC for inclusion in the our annual proxy statement; (c) retain and terminate our independent accountant; (d) approve
audit and non-audit services to be performed by the independent accountant; and (e) perform such other functions as our Board of Directors may from time to time assign to the Audit
Committee. The Audit Committee has a charter that details its duties and responsibilities, which was adopted by our Board of Directors on May 22, 2003 and filed with our revised proxy statement
for our last annual meeting on April 29, 2004. Currently, all Audit Committee members are "independent" under NASDAQ listing standards and as such term is defined in the rules and regulations
of the SEC, and Mr. Rizvi has also been designated to be an "audit committee financial expert" as such term is defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC. A copy of the Audit Committee
charter can be found on our website at www.joesjeans.com under our Investor Relations heading.
Compensation and Stock Option Committee.
Currently, the Compensation Committee is comprised of Messrs. Savage, Hoffman, O'Riordan
and Rizvi. Mr. Savage serves as Chairman of the Compensation Committee. The Compensation and Stock Option Committee met or acted through written consent a total of five times in fiscal 2007.
The
principal responsibilities of the Compensation and Stock Option Committee are to (a) assist our Board of Directors in ensuring that a proper system of long-term and
short-term compensation is in place to provide performance-oriented incentives to management, and that compensation plans are appropriate and competitive and properly reflect the
objectives and performance of management and the company; (b) discharge our Board of Director's responsibilities relating to compensation of our executive officers; (c) evaluate our
Chief Executive Officer and set his remuneration package; (d) prepare an annual report on executive compensation for inclusion in our annual proxy statement; (e) make recommendations to
our Board of Directors with respect to incentive-compensation plans and equity-based plans; and (f) perform such other functions as our Board of Directors may from time to time assign. The
Compensation and Stock Option Committee has a charter that details its duties and responsibilities, which was adopted by our Board of Directors on May 22, 2003. Currently, all Compensation and
Stock Option Committee members are "independent" under NASDAQ listing standards. A copy of the Compensation and Stock Option Committee charter can be found on our website at www.joesjeans.com under
our Investor Relations heading.
Nominating and Governance Committee.
The Nominating and Governance Committee is currently comprised of Messrs. Hoffman, O'Riordan,
and Savage. Mr. Hoffman serves as Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee. The Nominating and Governance Committee met a total of one time in fiscal 2007 and met prior to the filing
of this proxy statement to propose the above slate of nominees for election to our Board of Directors by our common stockholders for this annual meeting.
The
principal responsibilities of the Nominating and Governance Committee are to (a) assist our Board of Directors in determining the desired experience, mix of skills and other qualities to
assure appropriate Board of Directors composition, taking into account the current members and the specific needs of the company and the Board of Directors; (b) identify highly qualified
individuals meeting those criteria to serve on our Board of Directors; (c) propose to our Board of
11
Directors
a slate of nominees for election by our common stockholders at the annual meeting of stockholders and prospective director candidates in the event of the resignation, death, removal or
retirement of directors or a change in our Board of Directors composition requirements; (d) develop plans regarding the size and composition of our Board of Directors and its committees;
(e) review management succession plans; (f) review the Corporate Governance Guidelines of our Board of Directors at least annually and monitor and make recommendations with respect to
the corporate governance principles applicable to the company; and (g) perform such other functions as the Board of Directors may from time to time assign to the Nominating and Governance
Committee.
The
Nominating and Governance Committee has a charter that details its duties and responsibilities, which was adopted by our Board of Directors on May 22, 2003. Currently, all Nominating and
Governance Committee members are "independent" under NASDAQ listing standards. There is no specific procedure outlined in the charter for the Nominating and Governance Committee to consider nominees
to our Board of Directors that are recommended by our common stockholders, but such nominees will be considered in accordance with the principal responsibilities of the Nominating and Governance
Committee, our bylaws and all applicable rules and regulations relating to such nominations by our common stockholders. Please see our "Questions and Answers" beginning on page two for
deadlines to propose actions for consideration at next year's annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate individuals to serve as directors. The Nominating and Governance Committee has the
responsibility for developing criteria for the selection of new directors and nominees for vacancies. The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee have the discretion to choose candidates
that have the desired experience, mix of skills and other qualities to assure appropriate composition while taking into account the current members and the specific needs of our company and our Board
of Directors. To date, no more specific criteria has been developed than that set forth in the charter. Furthermore, we have not had a common stockholder propose a nominee to our Board of Directors
nor have we paid any third party a fee to assist us in the process of identifying or evaluating candidates for our Board of Directors. A copy of the Nominating and Governance Committee charter can be
found on our website at www.joesjeans.com under our Investor Relations heading.
-
Q:
-
How are members of the Board of Directors compensated for their service?
-
A:
-
Historically, our non-employee members of our Board of Directors have been compensated for
service through an equity grant. Our Board of Directors are not compensated in any other manner, however, they are reimbursed for travel and business expenses associated with attending our annual
meeting if the Board of Director's schedule permits such attendance. Attendance in person is not required, but we try to accommodate schedules in planning the date. Consistent with its past practices,
on October 15, 2007 and October 17, 2007, the Compensation Committee of the Board approved grants of restricted stock in the amount of 80,000 shares to each non-employee
Director: Sam Furrow, Kent Savage, Tom O'Riordan, and Suhail Rizvi. The restricted stock vests on a monthly basis over the course of 12 months beginning November 15, 2007. In lieu of a
restricted stock grant, Kelly Hoffman elected to be compensated through a cash retainer in the amount of $127,200 paid monthly over the twelve month period. This amount was determined based upon the
peer group analysis and because the non-employee member of our Board of Directors had served
12
from
May 2006 to October 2007 (a period of 17 months) without any form of cash or other equity compensation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
|
|
Stock Awards(1)
|
|
Total
|
|
Sam Furrow
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
127,200
|
|
$
|
127,200
|
|
Kent Savage
|
|
|
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
Tom O'Riordan
|
|
|
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
Suhail Rizvi
|
|
|
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
Kelly Hoffman
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
|
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
127,200
|
|
$
|
508,800
|
|
$
|
636,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
(1)
-
Represents
the total fair value of 80,000 shares of restricted common stock granted to our non-employee directors on October 15, 2007 to
be recognized by us as an expense in accordance with SFAS 123R. The restricted common stock vests on a monthly basis over a 12 month period with the first tranche vesting on
November 15, 2007.
Members
of our Board of Directors who are employees receive no additional compensation for service as members of our Board of Directors. Members of our Board of Directors who also serve on one or more
committees of our Board of Directors do not receive any additional compensation for such service.
-
Q:
-
Has our Board of Directors adopted a code of ethics?
-
A:
-
Our Board of Directors adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics for all of our directors, officers and
employees on May 22, 2003. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics is available on our website at www.joesjeans.com or you may request a free copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
from our Chief Compliance Officer at our corporate headquarters at the following address: 5901 South Eastern Avenue, Commerce, California 90040 or by calling (323) 837-3700. You may
also find a copy of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics filed as Exhibit 14 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 29, 2003 filed
with the SEC on February 28, 2004.
To
date, there have been no waivers under our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics. We intend to disclose any amendments to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and any waiver granted from a
provision of such Code on a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC within four business days following such amendment or waiver or on our website at www.joesjeans.com within
the same time frame. The information contained or connected to our website is not incorporated by reference into this proxy statement and should not be considered a part of this or any other report
that we file or furnish to the SEC.
-
Q:
-
Does our Board of Directors have a process for our common stockholders to communicate with its
members?
-
A:
-
At the present time, our Board of Directors has not adopted a formal policy to set forth a process by which
our common stockholders may communicate with the members of the Board of Directors because any correspondence addressed to any member of the Board of Directors will be received, reviewed and forwarded
to whom the correspondence is directed by the Corporate Secretary, unless the communication is unduly hostile, threatening, illegal, does not reasonably relate to us or our business, or is similarly
inappropriate. The office of the Corporate Secretary has authority to discard any inappropriate communications or to take other appropriate actions with respect to any inappropriate communications.
The Board of Directors believes that not having a formal process to communicate with them does not make them less accessible to our common stockholders and
13
any
inquiries to date have been satisfactorily processed and communicated to the appropriate members. Each communication must contain a clear notation indicating that it is a
"StockholderBoard Communication" or "StockholderDirector Communication," and each communication must identify the author as a stockholder.
PROPOSAL 2
RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
Our Board of Directors has appointed Ernst & Young LLP, or E&Y, as our independent registered public accounting firm for
the fiscal year ending November 30, 2008, subject to ratification by our common stockholders at our annual meeting. Representatives of E&Y will be present at the annual meeting and will have
the opportunity to make a statement if they so desire and will be available to respond to appropriate questions.
-
Q:
-
What is the vote required to approve Proposal 2?
-
A:
-
The affirmative
"FOR"
vote of a majority of the shares
present in person or represented by proxy at the annual meeting is required to ratify the selection of E&Y as our independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending November 30,
2008. Unless otherwise instructed on the proxy, properly executed proxies will be voted in favor of ratifying the appointment of E&Y.
-
Q:
-
How does the Board of Directors recommend I vote?
-
A:
-
Our Board of Directors unanimously recommends a vote
"FOR"
the ratification and approval of the selection of E&Y to serve as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending November 30, 2008.
14
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
The following table provides information as of September 22, 2008 concerning beneficial ownership of common stock held by
(1) each person or entity known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of our outstanding common stock, (2) each of our directors and nominees for election as a director, (3) each
of our named executive officers, and (4) all of our directors and executive officers as a group. The information as to beneficial ownership has been furnished by our respective common
stockholders, directors and executive officers, and, unless otherwise indicated, each of our common stockholders has sole voting and investment power with respect to the shares beneficially owned.
Beneficial ownership is determined under the rules of the SEC and generally includes voting or investment power with respect to securities.
Unless
indicated below, to our knowledge, the persons and entities named in the table below have sole voting and sole investment power with respect to all shares beneficially owned,
subject to community property laws where applicable. Pursuant to the rules of the SEC, certain shares of our common stock that a beneficial owner set forth in this table has a right to acquire within
60 days of the date hereof (pursuant to the exercise of options or warrants for the purchase of shares of common stock) are deemed to be outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage
ownership of that owner, but are not deemed outstanding for the purpose of computing percentage ownership of any other beneficial owner shown in the table. Percentages are calculated based on
59,826,974 shares outstanding as of September 22, 2008. The address for the officers and directors is our corporate office located at 5901 South Eastern Avenue, Commerce, California, 90040.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beneficial Owner
|
|
Number of Shares Beneficially Owned
|
|
Percentage of Common Stock
|
|
Marc B. Crossman
Chief Executive Officer, President and Director
|
|
|
1,947,864
|
(1)
|
|
3.18
|
%
|
Hamish Sandhu
Chief Financial Officer
|
|
|
103,887
|
(2)
|
|
*
|
|
Joseph M. Dahan
Creative Director and Director
|
|
|
14,418,708
|
(3)
|
|
24.02
|
%
|
Samuel J. (Sam) Furrow
Chairman of Board of Directors
|
|
|
3,410,105
|
(4)
|
|
5.68
|
%
|
Kelly Hoffman
Director
|
|
|
50,000
|
(5)
|
|
*
|
|
Tom O'Riordan
Director
|
|
|
155,000
|
(6)
|
|
*
|
|
Suhail R. Rizvi
Director
|
|
|
267,692
|
(7)
|
|
*
|
|
Kent Savage
Director
|
|
|
285,250
|
(8)
|
|
*
|
|
BSS-Joe's Investors, LLC and Barry S. Sternlicht
591 West Putnam Avenue
Greenwich, Connecticut 06830
|
|
|
5,482,325
|
(9)
|
|
9.13
|
%
|
Windsong DB, LLC
1599 Post Road East
Westport, Connecticut 06880
|
|
|
5,540,925
|
(10)
|
|
9.23
|
%
|
All directors and executive officers, as a group
(8 persons)
|
|
|
20,638,506
|
(1)(2)(3)(4)
(5)(6)(7)(8)
|
|
33.11
|
%
|
-
*
-
Represents
beneficial ownership of less than 1%.
15
-
(1)
-
Includes
(i) 404,349 shares held for Mr. Crossman's personal account including 235,849 shares of restricted common stock which vest ratably as
follows: one-third on October 15, 2008; one-third on October 15, 2009; and one-third on October 15, 2010; (ii) 50,000 shares held for
the accounts in trust for Mr. Crossman's minor children, which Mr. Crossman's father is the trustee; and (ii) 1,493,515 shares issuable upon the exercise of currently exercisable
(or exercisable within 60 days) options held for Mr. Crossman's personal account. Mr. Crossman disclaims beneficial ownership of shares held for the accounts in trust for his
minor children.
-
(2)
-
Includes
(i) 16,387 shares held for Mr. Sandhu's personal account; and (ii) 87,500 shares of restricted common stock units held for
Mr. Sandhu's personal account which shall vest and be issued ratably every six months beginning on June 18, 2008 until the shares are fully vested on December 18, 2012. On
June 18, 2008, 12,500 shares of the original grant of 100,000 restricted common stock units vested and 4,213 shares were withheld to pay Mr. Sandhu's minimum tax withholding obligations.
As a result, Mr. Sandhu was issued 8,287 shares of common stock net of shares withheld for payment of the tax withholding obligations which are included in (i) above.
-
(3)
-
Includes
(i) 14,218,708 shares held for the personal account of Mr. Dahan; and (ii) 200,000 shares issuable upon the exercise of
currently exercisable (or exercisable within 60 days) options held for Mr. Dahan's personal account. Mr. Dahan pledged under a security and pledge agreement 600,000 shares held in
his personal account.
-
(4)
-
Includes
(i) 3,173,598 shares held for the personal account of Mr. Furrow including 80,000 shares of restricted common stock which vest
ratably over a twelve month period on the 15
th
day of each month until the shares are fully vested on October 15, 2008; (ii) 15,300 shares held for the account of
Mr. Furrow's spouse; and (iii) 221,207 shares issuable upon the exercise of currently exercisable (or exercisable within 60 days) options held for Mr. Furrow's personal
account. Mr. Furrow disclaims beneficial ownership of shares held for the account of his spouse. Mr. Furrow has pledged under the terms of certain term loan agreements and lines of
credit an aggregate of 3,083,598 shares of his common stock held in his personal account.
-
(5)
-
Includes
50,000 shares issuable upon the exercise of currently exercisable (or exercisable within 60 days) options held for Mr. Hoffman's
personal account.
-
(6)
-
Includes
(i) 80,000 shares held for the personal account of Mr. O'Riordan including shares of restricted common stock including 80,000 shares
of restricted common stock which vest ratably over a twelve month period on the 15th day of each month until the shares are fully vested on October 15, 2008; and (ii) 75,000
shares issuable upon the exercise of currently exercisable (or exercisable within 60 days) options held for Mr. O'Riordan's personal account.
-
(7)
-
Includes
(i) 80,000 shares held for the personal account of Mr. Rizvi, including shares of restricted common stock including 80,000 shares of
restricted common stock which vest ratably over a twelve month period on the 15th day of each month until the shares are fully vested on October 15, 2008; (ii) 10,000 shares held
for the account of R-2 Group Holdings LLC, a limited liability company which Mr. Rizvi serves as managing member; and (iii) 177,692 shares issuable upon the exercise
of currently exercisable (or exercisable within 60 days) options held for Mr. Rizvi's personal account. Mr. Rizvi disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares held for the
account of R-2 Group Holdings LLC except to the extent of his pecuniary interest in such shares.
-
(8)
-
Includes
(i) 80,000 shares held for the personal account of Mr. Savage including shares of restricted common stock including 80,000 shares of
restricted common stock which vest ratably over a twelve month period on the 15th day of each month until the shares are fully vested on October 15, 2008; (ii) 10,250 shares held
for the account of Savage Interests LP, a limited partnership which Mr. Savage and his spouse are limited partners; and (iii) 195,000 shares issuable upon the exercise of
currently exercisable (or exercisable within 60 days) options held for Mr. Savage's personal account. Mr. Savage disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares held for the account
of Savage Interests LP except to the extent of his pecuniary interest in such shares.
-
(9)
-
Includes
(i) 5,242,325 shares held for the account of BSS-Joe's Investors, LLC, an entity which Barry S. Sternlicht holds the
majority of the membership interests; and (ii) a warrant to purchase up to 240,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.36 per share. Barry S. Sternlicht, as holder of the majority
of the membership interest, has sole voting or investment control over these shares. This information is based upon a Schedule 13D/A filed with the SEC on July 10, 2007.
-
(10)
-
Includes
(i) 5,242,325 shares held for the account of Windsong, DB, LLC, an entity which William Sweedler holds the majority of the
membership interests and 58,600 shares of common stock held personally by William Sweedler; and (ii) a warrant to purchase up to 240,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $1.36 per
share. William Sweedler, as holder of the majority of the membership interest, has sole voting or investment control over these shares. This information is based upon a Schedule 13D/A filed
with the SEC on July 10, 2007 and July 11, 2007.
16
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Executive Officers
Our executive officers and age and position as of September 22, 2008 are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
Marc B. Crossman
|
|
|
36
|
|
Chief Executive Officer, President and Director
|
Hamish Sandhu
|
|
|
45
|
|
Chief Financial Officer
|
Joe Dahan
|
|
|
40
|
|
Creative Director
|
Marc B. Crossman
has served as our Chief Executive Officer since January 2006, our President since September 2004 and a member of our
Board of Directors since January 1999. From March 2003 until August 2007, Mr. Crossman also served as our Chief Financial Officer. From January 1999 until March 2003, Mr. Crossman served
as a Vice President and Equity Analyst with J.P. Morgan Securities Inc., New York City, New York. From September 1997 until January 1999, Mr. Crossman served as a Vice President and
Equity Analyst with CIBC Oppenheimer Corporation. Mr. Crossman received his B.S. degree in Mathematics from Vanderbilt University.
Hamish Sandhu
has served as our Chief Financial Officer since August 2007. From January 2006 until August 2007, Mr. Sandhu was
Chief Financial Officer of California Tan, Inc., a consumer products company manufacturing and marketing lotion and equipment to the indoor tanning industry. From September 2001 until December
2005, Mr. Sandhu was Chief Financial Officer of Ancra International LLC, a manufacturer of aircraft cargo systems and trucking restraint products. Mr. Sandhu began his career at
Deloitte & Touche LLP. Prior to that, Mr. Sandhu held various Chief Financial and Corporate Controller positions at other manufacturing and distribution based companies.
Mr. Sandhu has a B.A. degree in Economics and Accounting from Australian National University and holds a Certified Public Accountant's license.
Joe Dahan
has served as the president and head designer for our Joe's Jeans Subsidiary, Inc. since its formation in February 2001
and as our Creative Director and member of our Board of Directors since October 2007. Mr. Dahan is responsible for the design, development and marketing of Joe's products. From 1996 until 2001,
Mr. Dahan was the head designer for Azteca Production International, Inc., or Azteca, where he was responsible for the design, development and merchandising of product lines developed by
Azteca. Azteca, which is owned by two of our stockholders, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of denim related products. From 1989 until 1996, Mr. Dahan was engaged in the design and
development of apparel products for a company of which he was an owner and operator.
Other Significant Employees
Elena Pickett
(age 45) has served as our Senior Vice President of Sales since
September 2005. From 2000 to 2005, Ms. Pickett served as the Director of Sales for wholesale apparel sales for Lucky Brand Jeans®, a division of Liz Claiborne Inc. From 1995
to 2000, Ms. Pickett served as the Sales Manager for the West Coast region for Just For Wraps, a junior apparel company based in Los Angeles. Prior to that, Ms. Pickett also held various
sales positions at Pepe Clothing including West Coast Sales Manager for women's denim.
Director Compensation
Historically, our non-employee Directors have been compensated for service through an equity grant. Our Directors are not
compensated in any other manner, however, they are reimbursed for travel and business expenses associated with attending our annual meeting if the Director's schedule permits such attendance.
Attendance in person is not required, but we try to accommodate schedules in
17
planning
the date. In fiscal 2007, all directors, except Mr. Hoffman, attended our annual meeting in person. Consistent with its past practices, on October 15, 2007 and
October 17, 2007, the Compensation Committee of the Board approved grants of restricted stock in the amount of 80,000 shares to each non-employee Director: Sam Furrow, Kent Savage,
Tom O'Riordan, and Suhail Rizvi. The restricted stock vests on a monthly basis over the course of 12 months beginning November 15, 2007. In lieu of a restricted stock grant, Kelly
Hoffman elected to be compensated through a cash retainer in the amount of $127,200 paid monthly over the next twelve months which is equivalent to the value of the restricted stock awards. This
amount was determined based upon the peer group analysis and because the non-employee Directors had served from May 2006 to October 2007 (a period of 17 months) without any form of
cash or other equity compensation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name
|
|
Fees Earned or Paid in Cash
|
|
Stock Awards(1)
|
|
Total
|
|
Sam Furrow
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
127,200
|
|
$
|
127,200
|
|
Kent Savage
|
|
|
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
Tom O'Riordan
|
|
|
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
Suhail Rizvi
|
|
|
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
Kelly Hoffman
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
|
|
|
|
127,200
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
127,200
|
|
$
|
508,800
|
|
$
|
636,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
(1)
-
Represents
the total fair value of 80,000 shares of restricted common stock granted to our non-employee directors on October 15, 2007 to
be recognized by us as an expense in accordance with SFAS 123R. The restricted common stock vests on a monthly basis over a 12 month period with the first tranche vesting on
November 15, 2007.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
During fiscal 2007, the Compensation and Stock Option Committee of our Board of Directors, or Compensation Committee, was comprised of
Messrs. Savage, Hoffman, O'Riordan and Rizvi. The Compensation Committee is responsible for determining the salaries and incentive compensation of our executive officers and for providing
recommendations for the salaries and incentive compensation of all other employees and consultants. The Compensation Committee also administers our benefit plans, including the 2004 Stock Incentive
Plan. Mr. Savage serves as Chairman of the Compensation Committee. None of our past or current members of the Compensation Committee has served as an executive officer or employee of us or any
of our subsidiaries. One member of our Compensation Committee, Mr. Rizvi, entered into a transaction with us to sublease, at our current market rate, certain previously leased office space for
an entity that he owns. See "Related Parties9000 Sunset Office Space Sublease" for a further discussion of this transaction.
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
This discussion and analysis will focus on the following: (1) the objectives of the executive compensation policies and
practices, (2) the objectives that the compensation program is designed to reward; (3) each element of compensation, (4) the rationale for each element of compensation,
(5) the methodologies utilized by us in determining the amounts to pay for each element, and (6) how an element of compensation and our rationale for each element fit together within our
overall compensation objectives. This discussion relates to our Principal Executive Officer, Principal Financial Officer, and our Creative Director, or collectively, our Named Executive Officers.
18
Compensation Philosophy
Our executive compensation program is designed to provide proper incentive to management to maximize performance in order to encourage
creation of stockholder value and achievement of strategic corporate objectives, attract and retain qualified, skilled and dedicated executives on a long-term basis, reward past
performance and provide incentives for future performance.
In
keeping with these objectives, our goal is to (1) align the interests of the executive officers with the interests of our stockholders, (2) ensure the
long-term commitment of our management team, and (3) ensure accountability for both our overall performance and the individual's performance and contribution.
In
setting the level of cash and equity compensation, the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors considers various factors, including our overall performance and the
individual's performance during the year, the uniqueness and relative performance of the executive's skill set, the expected future contribution to us and competitive conditions.
Elements of Compensation
Our compensation structure for our Named Executive Officers consists of a combination of (1) base salary,
(2) long-term incentive awards (equity awards), (3) company paid benefits, and (4) discretionary bonuses. The Compensation Committee also takes into account certain
change in control provisions available to our Named Executive Officers.
Our
Creative Director, Joe Dahan, was our only Named Executive Officer with an employment agreement in fiscal 2007. The employment agreement was entered into with him in connection with
the completion of the merger by and among, us, our Joe's Jeans Subsidiary Inc., or Joe's Subsidiary, and JD Holdings, Inc., or JD Holdings.
During
fiscal 2007, both Mr. Crossman and Mr. Sandhu were at-will employees. Mr. Sandhu was given an employment offer letter in connection with his offer
of employment as our Chief Financial Officer in August 2007. On May 30, 2008, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Crossman for his continued employment with us. The
Compensation Committee believed that
an employment agreement was an important part to ensure Mr. Crossman's long-term commitment to us.
Engagement of Compensation Consultant
In September 2007, our Compensation Committee engaged a compensation consultant, Mercer Human Resources Consulting, to serve as an
independent advisor to the Compensation Committee to conduct a review of the compensation for our Chief Executive Officer and non-employee Directors, examine the pay level and practices of
a group of peer companies similar in terms of size and industry, highlight trends in such compensation and provide recommendations regarding our practices. Mercer prepared for our Compensation
Committee a competitive analysis of compensation utilizing comparable company compensation data, including size and industry appropriate survey data and advice around short and long-term
incentive programs. The information prepared by Mercer provided the Compensation Committee with data to allow them to evaluate and determine an appropriate amount for a bonus and equity award grant
for our Chief Executive Officer for fiscal 2007 and compensation for non-employee directors. More particularly, this information provided the basis for discussion of compensation for
fiscal 2008 for our Chief Executive Officer.
19
The
peer companies selected for comparison purposes included other apparel, footwear and accessories companies of a comparable size with publicly available information. The companies in
the peer group were as follows:
-
-
True Religion
-
-
Cutter & Buck
-
-
Lacrosse Footwear
-
-
Iconix Brand Group
-
-
Everlast Worldwide
-
-
Sport-Haley
-
-
Chaus
-
-
Cygne Designs
-
-
Isaacs IC & Co.
-
-
Nitches
-
-
Cherokee
-
-
People's Liberation
The
information presented included data for the 75
th
percentile, 50
th
percentile, and 25
th
percentile. Our Compensation
Committee determined that based upon the data presented, the total direct compensation for our Chief Executive Officer in prior years was just below the 25
th
percentile due to a
lack of cash bonus opportunity. Thus, the Compensation Committee believed that a cash bonus would be an important element of compensation for fiscal 2007 and beyond for our Chief Executive Officer.
Base Salary
Our Compensation Committee reviews base salary for Chief Executive Officer on an annual basis, and for fiscal 2007 considered the
recommendation by the Chief Executive Officer for the other Named Executive Officers other than the Chief Executive Officer. In fiscal 2007, our Chief Executive Officer's base salary was the same as
his base salary for the prior year. The Compensation Committee utilized the data from Mercer as a basis for the discussion of our Chief Executive Officer's salary for fiscal 2008.
Bonuses
Historically, the Compensation Committee has not granted a bonus to our Chief Executive Officer. As a result of the lack of bonus
opportunity in prior years and recognizing the importance of this element of compensation, for fiscal 2007, the Compensation Committee elected to grant Mr. Crossman a discretionary bonus in the
amount of $300,000, $150,000 of which was payable on or before the end of our 2007 fiscal year and $150,000 to be paid in connection with the execution of an employment agreement in fiscal 2008.
Factors that the Compensation Committee considered in determining this bonus amount included Mr. Crossman's performance over the past fiscal year along with our financial and strategic
performance, which included successfully selling the assets from our other business segments and focusing our resources on our Joe's® brand, completing the merger to acquire the
Joe's® assets, regaining compliance with Nasdaq listing standards, and competitive considerations, including the market data indicating that bonus opportunity is an important element in
cash compensation for a Chief Executive Officer. This cash bonus was the first cash bonus paid to Mr. Crossman since he commenced employment in March 2003.
Long-Term Incentive Compensation
Our Compensation Committee administers our 2004 Stock Incentive Plan and believes that the long-term commitment of our
employees, including our Named Executive Officers, is an important factor in our future performance. The primary element used to promote the long-term performance
20
and
commitment of our Named Executive Officers is long-term incentive compensation through grants of stock options and restricted stock. In fiscal 2007, the Compensation Committee shifted
from its past practice of granting options to purchase shares of our common stock to granting restricted common stock. This decision to change past practices was in part due to fluctuations in the
market price of our common stock and the decision to re-price out-of-the-money incentive stock options in fiscal 2006 as part of a retention incentive.
The Compensation Committee believes that equity grants with time-based vesting restrictions aid in retention and better align the interests of our Named Executive Officers with those of
our stockholders. Further, the equity grants motivate our Named Executive Officers to make long-term decisions that are in our best interest and to provide incentive to maximize
stockholder value.
We
do not coordinate the timing of equity award grants with the release of financial results or other material announcements by us and generally, we have made annual equity grants to our
Chief Executive Officer and non-employee directors in connection with our annual meeting of stockholders.
We
believe that providing Named Executive Officers who have responsibility for our management and growth with an opportunity to increase their stock ownership aligns the interests of the
executive officers with those of our stockholders. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee also considers equity grants to be an important aspect in compensating and providing incentives to management
and employees. The Compensation Committee determines the number of shares for each stock incentive grant based upon the executive officer's role and responsibilities, the executive officer's base
salary, the recommendation of our Chief Executive Officer of the job performance of the individual. For the equity grants to our Chief Executive Officer and our non-employee directors, the
Compensation Committee also utilized the data presented and compared with comparable awards to individuals in similar positions in our industry.
Benefits
Benefits offered to our Named Executive Officers are substantially the same as those offered to all our regular employees and generally
include medical insurance, dental insurance, 401(k) plan, disability insurance, life insurance and flexible spending account. For our Named Executive Officers, we pay all premiums associated with such
benefits as described in the footnote 6 to the Summary Compensation Table.
Change in Control Provisions
Our Creative Director and our Chief Financial Officer have change in control provisions in each person's employment agreement and
employment offer letter, respectively. These provisions provide these Named Executive Officers with certain compensation arrangements in the event that a change in control occurs. In addition, our
2004 Stock Incentive Plan contains a change in control provision which provides for the immediate vesting in full of all grants or lapse of all restrictions for all grantees, including our Named
Executive Officers, in the event a change in control occurs.
Mr. Crossman's
employment agreement entered into in May 2008 contains a change in control provision that provides him with certain severance payments and benefits, including an
amount equal to 24 months of his prior year's base salary and bonus in the event his employment is terminated by us within 18 months following a change in control and without cause, or
terminated by Mr. Crossman within 18 months following a change in control and for good reason.
Relationship Between Elements and Objectives
In determining the total amount and mixture of the compensation package for our Chief Executive Officer, our Compensation Committee
subjectively considers individual performance, including past and expected contributions, overall performance of the company as a whole, long-term goals and such other
21
factors
as our Compensation Committee determines appropriate. The use of both cash compensation (salary and bonus) and long-term compensation (equity awards) achieves the objectives of
attracting, motivating and retaining our Chief Executive Officer, other Named Executive Officers and employees. Long-term compensation realized through the use of equity awards achieves
the objectives of aligning management's interests with stockholders' interests and ensuring the long-term commitment of the management team. For fiscal 2007, our Compensation Committee
determined that for our Chief Executive Officer the total cash compensation should be higher than the 25
th
percentile for our peer group and elected to provide him with a bonus.
For fiscal 2008, the Compensation Committee considered, evaluated and discussed the data presented to provide the basis for its discussion and decision regarding compensation.
Executive Management's Involvement in Compensation Policies
Our Compensation Committee determines the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer and directors and reviewed and approved our
compensation of our Creative Director and Chief Financial Officer based upon the recommendation from our Chief Executive Officer regarding expected contributions, long term goals and other factors
appropriate to the respective positions. Our Compensation Committee approves all grants of equity compensation, including the pool for non-officer employees. All equity compensation grants
to persons other than the Board of Directors or our Chief Executive Officer are approved based upon a recommendation from our Chief Executive Officer.
Tax Considerations
We generally intend to qualify executive compensation for deductibility without limitation under section 162(m) of the Internal
Revenue Code. Section 162(m) provides that, for purposes of the regular income tax and the alternative minimum tax, the otherwise allowable deduction
for compensation paid or accrued with respect to a covered employee of a publicly-held corporation (other than certain exempt performance-based compensation) is limited to no more than
$1 million per year. None of the non-exempt compensation we paid to any of our Named Executive Officers for 2007 exceeded the $1 million limit.
Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation
We account for stock-based payments, including restricted stock awards, in accordance with the requirements of SFAS No. 123R,
"Share-Based Payment, or SFAS No. 123R. Under this accounting pronouncement, we must value all stock-based compensation granted to employees and directors under the fair value method and
expense those amounts in the income statement over the award's vesting period.
Executive Officer Compensation
The following table provides certain summary information concerning the compensation earned by our Named Executive Officers in the
position of the Principal Executive Officer, Principal Financial
22
Officer,
and Creative Director for services rendered in all capacities to us for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2007.
Summary Compensation Table
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name and Principal Position
|
|
Year
|
|
Salary
|
|
Bonus
|
|
Stock Awards
|
|
Option Awards
|
|
All Other Compensation(6)
|
|
Total
|
|
Marc Crossman
Chief Executive Officer and President
|
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
375,001
|
|
$
|
150,000
|
(1)
|
$
|
375,000
|
(2)
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
72,838
|
|
$
|
972,839
|
|
Hamish Sandhu
Chief Financial Officer
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
51,250
|
(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
123,000
|
(4)
|
|
131
|
|
|
174,381
|
|
Joseph Dahan
Creative Director
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
104,011
|
(5)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
34,993
|
|
|
139,004
|
|
-
(1)
-
Reflects
portion of Mr. Crossman's bonus approved and paid in fiscal 2007. The remaining amount of $150,000 previously approved bonus by the
Compensation Committee is expected to be paid in connection with the execution of an employment letter agreement during the second quarter of fiscal 2008.
-
(2)
-
Represents
the total fair value of the restricted common stock grant to Mr. Crossman on October 15, 2007 to be recognized by us as an expense
in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004), or SFAS 123R, in connection with the grant. The restricted common stock vests as follows:
one-third of the shares vest on October 15, 2008, one-third of the shares vest on October 15, 2009, and one-third of the shares vest on
October 15, 2010.
-
(3)
-
Mr. Sandhu
commenced employment with us on August 27, 2007 as our Chief Financial Officer.
-
(4)
-
Represents
the total fair value of the stock option award to be recognized by us as an expense in accordance with SFAS 123R in connection with the
award. On December 18, 2007, Mr. Sandhu elected to forfeit and cancel his stock option award in exchange for a grant of 100,000 restricted common stock units on the same terms and
conditions granted to other non-officer employees. The restricted common stock units are scheduled to vest every six months over a four year period.
-
(5)
-
Mr. Dahan
was appointed Creative Director on October 25, 2007 and previously served as an employee and president of our Joe's Subsidiary. This
amount represents the full compensation paid to him in connection with his employment for fiscal 2007.
-
(6)
-
The
following table details the components of this column.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name and Principal Position
|
|
Year
|
|
Company Paid Health Insurance(a)
|
|
Unused Vacation Payout(b)
|
|
401(k) Match
|
|
Total
|
|
Marc Crossman
|
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
21,147
|
|
$
|
45,371
|
|
$
|
6,321
|
|
$
|
72,838
|
|
Hamish Sandhu
|
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
131
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
131
|
|
Joseph Dahan
|
|
|
2007
|
|
$
|
30,378
|
|
$
|
4,615
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
34,993
|
|
-
(a)
-
This
amount represents health insurance premiums paid on behalf of the Named Executive Officer in excess of health insurance premiums paid for other
employees.
-
(b)
-
This
amount represents a pay out for earned but unused vacation at the Named Executive Officers daily rate. In accordance with our employee handbook, all
regular full-time employees are eligible to be paid out for earned but unused vacation at the end of each fiscal year.
23
Grants of Plan-Based Awards
The following table sets forth information regarding grants of our awards pursuant to our 2004 Stock Incentive Plan to our Named
Executive Officers during our fiscal year ended November 30, 2007:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Estimated Future Payouts Under
Equity Incentive Plan Awards
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exercise or Base
Price of Option
Awards
($ / Sh)
|
|
Grant Date Fair
Value of Stock
and Option
Awards
|
|
Name
|
|
Grant Date
|
|
Threshold (#)
|
|
Target (#)
|
|
Maximum (#)
|
|
Marc Crossman(1)
|
|
|
15-Oct-07
|
|
|
|
|
|
235,849
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
375,000
|
|
Hamish Sandhu(2)
|
|
|
27-Aug-07
|
|
|
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1.92
|
|
|
|
|
-
(1)
-
On
October 15, 2007, Mr. Crossman was granted 235,849 shares of restricted common stock that vest as follows: one-third of the
shares vest on October 15, 2008, one-third of the shares vest on October 15, 2009, and one-third of the shares vest on October 15, 2010. These shares of
restricted common stock are subject to time-based vesting requirements that automatically vests provided Mr. Crossman is employed by us on such date. There are no other requirements
or performance targets that must be met in order for such shares to vest.
-
(2)
-
On
August 27, 2007, Mr. Sandhu was granted options to purchase up to 100,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price of $1.92, the
closing price of our common stock on the date of grant. This stock option was subject to a time-based vesting requirement and vested automatically on a monthly basis over a two year period
provided that Mr. Sandhu was employed by us on the vesting date. On December 18, 2007, Mr. Sandhu elected to forfeit and cancel his stock option award in exchange for a grant of
100,000 restricted common stock units on the same terms and conditions granted to other non-officer employees. The restricted common stock units are subject to a time-based
vesting requirement and are scheduled to vest every six months over a four year period provided that Mr. Sandhu continues to be employed on such vesting date. There are no other requirements or
performance targets that must be met in order for such grant to vest. On June 18, 2008, 12,500 shares of the restricted common stock units vested and were issued to Mr. Sandhu net of
shares withheld to satisfy his minimum tax withholding obligation.
24
Outstanding Equity Award at Fiscal Year-End
The following table sets forth information regarding outstanding equity awards held by our Named Executive Officers during our fiscal
year ended November 30, 2007:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Option Awards
|
|
Stock Awards
|
|
Name
|
|
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Exercisable
|
|
Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Options Unexercisable
|
|
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Securities Underlying Unexercised Unearned Options
|
|
Option Exercise Price
|
|
Option Expiration Date
|
|
Number of Shares or Units of Stock That Have Not Vested
|
|
Market Value of Shares or Units of Stock that Have Not Vested
|
|
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested
|
|
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or Other Rights That Have Not Vested
|
|
Marc Crossman
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
235,849
|
|
$
|
375,000
|
|
|
235,849
|
|
$
|
271,226
|
|
|
|
|
25,641
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
0.39
|
|
|
13-Dec-10
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1.00
|
|
|
17-Apr-12
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
200,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1.63
|
|
|
3-Sep-14
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
250,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1.02
|
|
|
13-Jun-15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1.02
|
|
|
23-May-13
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hamish Sandhu
|
|
|
12,500
|
|
|
87,500
|
|
|
87,500
|
|
$
|
1.92
|
|
|
26-Aug-17
|
(1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joseph Dahan
|
|
|
200,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1.02
|
|
|
4-Aug-15
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
(1)
-
On
December 18, 2007, Mr. Sandhu elected to forfeit and cancel his stock option award in exchange for a grant of 100,000 restricted common
stock units on the same terms and conditions granted to other non-officer employees. The restricted common stock units are scheduled to vest every six months over a four year period.
Option Exercises and Stock Vested
There were no option exercises or restricted stock that vested by our Named Executive Officers in our fiscal year ended
November 30, 2007.
Pension Benefits
We do not provide any pension benefits to any of our Named Executive Officers or employees.
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation
We do not provide any non-qualified deferred compensation to any of our Named Executive Officers or employees.
Employment Contracts and Termination of Employment and Change in Control Arrangements
In connection with the completion of a merger between us, our Joe's Subsidiary and JD Holdings, Mr. Dahan's employment agreement
automatically became effective for service as our Creative Director.
Under
the employment agreement, the initial term of employment is five years with automatic renewals for successive one year periods thereafter, unless terminated earlier.
Mr. Dahan is entitled to an annual salary of $300,000 and other discretionary benefits that the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors may deem appropriate in its sole and absolute
discretion.
Under
the terms of the employment agreement, we may terminate Mr. Dahan for Cause or if he becomes Disabled. "Cause" is defined as (i) a conviction, plea of guilty or nolo
contendere to a felony or a crime of moral turpitude; (ii) a material breach of any provision of the employment agreement that is not cured within 45 days of receipt of written notice of
such breach; (iii) the solicitation,
25
persuasion
or attempt at persuasion for any employee, consultant, contractor, customer or potential customer to engage in an act prohibited by the employment agreement; or (iv) a violation of
any of our policies in our handbook or code of ethics and such violation constitutes a breach of the Code of Ethics or warrants termination. "Disability" is defined as inability to perform duties for
180 consecutive days or shorter periods aggregating 270 days during any 12 month period. Should we terminate Mr. Dahan's employment for Cause or Disability, we would only be
required to pay him through the date of termination. We may terminate Mr. Dahan's employment without Cause at any time upon two weeks notice, provided that we pay him the present value of the
annual salary amounts otherwise due to him for the remainder of the initial term of employment or any renewal term. Mr. Dahan may terminate his employment for Good Reason at any time within
30 days written notice. "Good Reason" is defined as (i) a material breach of the employment agreement by us that is not cured within 30 days of written notice; or
(ii) Mr. Dahan's decision to terminate employment at any time after 18 months following a Change in Control. A "Change in Control" is defined as (i) the sale or disposal of
all or substantially all of the assets; (ii) the merger or consolidation with another company provided that our stockholders as a group no longer own at least 50 percent of the voting
power of the surviving corporation; (iii) any person or entity becoming the beneficial owner of 50 percent or more of our combined voting power; or (iv) the approval by our
stockholders to liquidate or dissolve. In the event that Mr. Dahan terminates his employment for Good Reason, then he will be entitled to the present value of the annual salary amounts
otherwise due to him for the remainder of the initial term of employment or any renewal term. Further, Mr. Dahan may terminate his employment for any reason upon ten business days' notice and
only be entitled to his salary as of the date of termination on a pro rata basis.
The
employment agreement contains customary terms and conditions related to confidentiality of information, ownership by us of all intellectual property, including future designs and
trademarks, alternative dispute resolution and Mr. Dahan's duties and responsibilities to us as Creative Director.
In connection with Mr. Sandhu's appointment as CFO, we entered into a written offer letter whereby Mr. Sandhu agreed to
serve as our CFO. Under the terms of the offer letter, Mr. Sandhu's annual base salary is $205,000. In addition, Mr. Sandhu received a grant on August 27, 2007, pursuant to our
2004 Stock Incentive Plan, to purchase up to 100,000 shares of our common stock at an exercise price equal to the closing price of our common stock on that date. The option has a term of
10 years, vests in equal monthly installments over the next 24 months and first became exercisable on September 27, 2007. We also agreed to pay the full cost of participation in
our health insurance plan for Mr. Sandhu and his family. Mr. Sandhu will also be entitled to six months of his monthly base salary as a severance payment in the event that a Change in
Control occurs during the four years following August 27, 2007 and his employment is subsequently terminated. For purposes of the offer letter, a "Change in Control" shall be deemed to have
occurred upon the closing of a transaction which: (i) we sell or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets; or (ii) there is a merger or consolidation of us with any
other corporation or corporations, provided that our shareholders, as a group, do not hold, immediately after such event, at least 50 percent of the voting power of the surviving or successor
corporation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, Mr. Sandhu is an employee at-will and has not entered into an employment agreement with us.
On
December 18, 2007, we entered into a Restricted Stock Unit Agreement, or RSU Award whereby we granted Mr. Sandhu an award of restricted stock units representing the
right to receive 100,000 shares of our common stock, or the Restricted Stock Units, pursuant to the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan. The Restricted Stock Units are scheduled to vest every six months over a
four year period. In conjunction with this award, Mr. Sandhu agreed to terminate his employee stock option to purchase 100,000 shares of our common stock granted pursuant to the 2004 Stock
Incentive Plan on
26
August 27,
2007. Mr. Sandhu agreed to forfeit the 100,000 shares he was entitled to acquire under the terms of the stock option, which was scheduled to vest on a monthly basis over a two
year period.
On May 30, 2008, we entered into an Executive Employment Agreement with Mr. Crossman to serve as our President and Chief
Executive Officer, or the Crossman Employment Agreement. Mr. Crossman has been serving as our President since September 2004 and as Chief Executive Officer since January 2006 under an
employment at-will arrangement. In connection with the execution of the Crossman Employment Agreement, Mr. Crossman received the second payment of his bonus for fiscal 2007 in the
amount of $150,000.00, as described above.
Under
the terms of the Crossman Employment Agreement, Mr. Crossman receives an annual salary of $429,300 and is entitled to receive other cash and non-cash
compensation, including an annual discretionary bonus targeted at 50% of his base salary based upon the achievement of financial and other performance criteria as set forth in the Crossman Employment
Agreement, an annual grant of equity compensation pursuant to the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan, and life and disability insurance policies paid on his behalf. The Crossman Employment Agreement is
effective as of December 1, 2007, the commencement of our 2008 fiscal year, and has an initial term of two years. The Crossman Employment Agreement automatically renews for additional two year
periods if neither us nor Mr. Crossman provide 180 days' advanced notice of non-renewal prior to the end of the term or upon the occurrence of a change in control.
In
the event that Mr. Crossman's employment is terminated by us other than for cause, terminated by Mr. Crossman for good reason, terminated by us within 18 months
following a change in control and without cause, or terminated by Mr. Crossman within 18 months following a change in control and for good reason, Mr. Crossman will be entitled to
certain severance payments and benefits, including an amount equal to 24 months of his prior year's base salary and bonus in exchange for his execution of a release of claims.
Mr. Crossman will not be entitled to severance benefits if he dies during the term of his employment, he is terminated for cause or due to disability, he terminates his employment for a reason
other than a good reason, or revokes his agreement to release us from any and all claims related to his employment.
Mr. Crossman
is subject to confidentiality, non-solicitation and non-competition restrictions during the term of his employment and is subject to the
confidentiality and non-solicitation provisions for a period of two years following termination of his employment.
2004 Stock Incentive Plan, Restricted Stock Agreement and Restricted Stock Unit Awards
Under the terms of the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan, all unvested awards accelerate and immediately vest upon the occurrence of a Change
in Control for all grantees. Further, Mr. Crossman's Restricted Stock Agreement and each RSU Award contains certain provisions regarding the terms and conditions of the grant. Each vests upon
the earliest to occur of the participant's death, Disability, or separation from service by us without Just Cause (as defined below). Death and Disability are defined in the Plan. Upon a separation
from service for any other reason (including, without limitation, termination by us for Just Cause or by participant for any reason) prior to the date that participant becomes 100 percent
vested in the award, the unvested units or shares are forfeited immediately. Under the award agreements, "Just Cause" means (a) a conviction for, or a plea of guilty or nolo contendere to, a
felony or any other crime which involves fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude, or (b) a material breach of any written employment policies or rules, including the our Code of Business Conduct
and Ethics.
27
Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control
The following table reflects the amounts that would be paid if a change in control or other termination event occurred on
November 30, 2007 and our stock price per share was the closing market price as of that date. The closing market price of our common stock on November 30, 2007 was $1.15.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Termination Scenario (11/30/07)
|
|
Marc Crossman
|
|
Hamish Sandhu
|
|
Joseph Dahan
|
|
Without Cause or for Good Reason(1) (within 18 months of Change in Control)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Severance pay(a)
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
1,470,443
|
|
|
Health benefits continuation(b)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30,378
|
|
|
Unexercised options
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unvested restricted stock
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
1,500,821
|
|
Without Cause or for Good Reason(1) (no Change in Control)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Severance pay(a)
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
1,470,443
|
|
|
Health benefits continuation(b)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
30,378
|
|
|
Unvested options
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unvested restricted stock
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
1,500,821
|
|
Change in Control
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Severance pay(2)
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
102,500
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
Unvested options(3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
100,625
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unvested restricted stock(3)
|
|
|
271,226
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
271,226
|
|
$
|
203,125
|
|
$
|
|
|
Without Cause, Death or Disability
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Unvested restricted stock(3)
|
|
$
|
271,226
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
$
|
271,226
|
|
$
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
-
(1)
-
See
"Employment Contracts and Termination of Employment and Change in Control ArrangementsJoseph M. Dahan" for a further discussion of the
terms under which such benefits would be payable for Mr. Dahan.
-
(a)
-
Represents
the amount of salary at Mr. Dahan's current rate of $300,000 that would have been paid pursuant to his employment agreement from
November 30, 2007 until October 25, 2012.
-
(b)
-
Represents
the anticipated cost of health insurance benefits for a period of one year following termination based upon amounts paid in fiscal 2007 for
Mr. Dahan.
-
(2)
-
See
"Employment Contracts and Termination of Employment and Change in Control ArrangementsHamish Sandhu" for a further discussion of the terms
under which such benefits would be payable for Mr. Sandhu. Represents the amount of salary at Mr. Sandhu's current rate of $205,000 that would have been paid pursuant to his employment
offer letter from November 30, 2007 until May 31, 2008. This amount represents six months of Mr. Sandhu's base salary that would be paid in the event of a change in control and
subsequent termination of employment.
-
(3)
-
See
"Employment Contracts and Termination of Employment and Change in Control Arrangements2004 Stock Incentive Plan, Restricted Stock Agreement
and Restricted Stock Unit Awards." Represents the fair market value of the acceleration of vesting of all outstanding awards pursuant to the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan and applicable agreements based
upon the closing market price of our common stock on November 30, 2007 at $1.15. On December 18, 2007, Mr. Sandhu forfeited these options in exchange for a grant of RSUs pursuant
to the 2004 Stock Incentive Plan.
28
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis with management.
Based
upon this review and discussion, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in this proxy statement
for our 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
Respectfully Submitted by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors,
Kent Savage (Chairman)
Kelly Hoffman
Tom O'Riordan
Suhail Rizvi
REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
In accordance with the written charter of the Audit Committee, which was adopted by our Board of Directors on May 22, 2003, the
Audit Committee assists the Board of Directors in oversight of the quality and integrity of our accounting, auditing, and financial reporting practices. In addition, the Audit Committee recommends to
the full Board of Directors the selection of the independent auditors.
Currently,
all Audit Committee members are "independent" under NASDAQ listing standards and as such term is defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC and Mr. Rizvi has also
been designated to be an "audit committee financial expert" as such term is defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC.
In
performing its oversight function, the Audit Committee reviewed and discussed our audited consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended November 30, 2007 with
management and our independent auditors. The Audit Committee also discussed with our independent auditors all matters required by generally accepted auditing standards, including those described in
Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61, "Communication with Audit Committees" as amended and adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board in Rule 3200T, and, with and without
management present, discussed and reviewed the results of the independent auditors' examination of the financial statements.
The
Audit Committee obtained from the independent auditors a formal written statement describing all relationships between the independent auditors and us that might bear on the
independent auditors' independence consistent with Independence Standards Board Standard No. 1, "Independence Discussions with Audit Committees." The Audit Committee discussed with the
independent auditors any relationships that may have an impact on their objectivity and independence and satisfied itself that the non-audit services provided by the independent
accountants are compatible with maintaining their independence.
Based
on the above-mentioned review and discussions with management and the independent auditors, the Audit Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that our audited consolidated
financial statements be included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2007 for filing with the SEC.
The Audit Committee:
Suhail
R. Rizvi, Chairman of the Audit Committee
Kelly Hoffman
Tom O'Riordan
29
Our
Audit Committee charter provides that that all transactions between us and persons or entities affiliated with our officers, directors or principal common stockholders must be
approved by our Audit Committee. We believe that this policy requiring that any material transaction between us and such
related parties be approved by our Audit Committee ensures that such transactions are on terms no less favorable to us than reasonably could have been obtained in arms' length transactions with
independent third parties.
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Former Related Parties
Commerce Investment Group and affiliates
Historically, we have had a strategic relationship with certain of our stockholders, Hubert Guez, Paul Guez and their affiliated
companies, including Azteca, AZT International de CV, or AZT, and Commerce Investment Group LLC, or Commerce. By virtue of this relationship, we have entered into the following agreements, at
various times, with Hubert Guez, Paul Guez and their affiliated companies, Azteca, AZT and Commerce, entities in which Hubert Guez and Paul Guez have controlling interests. These entities are no
longer related parties as they are not officers, directors or greater than five percent stockholders nor do they have the ability to control us, directly or indirectly.
The
following table represents charges from the affiliated companies pursuant to Joe's relationship with them, including its discontinued operations, as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
Continuing operations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Purchase order arrangements
|
|
$
|
10,727
|
|
$
|
12,845
|
|
$
|
2,560
|
|
|
Verbal facilities arrangement
|
|
|
|
|
|
256
|
|
|
315
|
|
Discontinued operations
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Supply agreement / Purchase order arrangements
|
|
|
|
|
|
16,851
|
|
|
60,898
|
|
|
Earn-out due to Sweet Sportswear
|
|
|
|
|
|
248
|
|
|
1,323
|
|
|
Verbal facilities agreement
|
|
|
|
|
|
301
|
|
|
724
|
|
|
Principal and interest on note payable
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,088
|
|
|
1,057
|
|
|
Supply and Distribution agreement
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
639
|
|
Until August 2007, we used AZT as a supplier on a purchase order basis for certain of our Joe's® denim products produced in
Mexico. Under this arrangement, we advanced the funds to purchase raw materials, which primarily includes fabric, anticipated for production of our products and paid for the production cost less
credit for the advances on raw materials. We purchased these products in various stages of production from partial to completed finished goods. In August 2007, we began using a different third party
vendor for the production of our products in Mexico.
Until mid-July 2006, we used space for our headquarters and principal executive offices under a verbal
month-to-month arrangement with Azteca. Under this arrangement, we paid to Azteca a monthly fee for allocated expenses associated with our use of office and warehouse space,
including a fee charged on a per unit basis for inventory, and expenses in connection with maintaining such office and warehouse space. These allocated expenses included, but were not limited to,
rent, security, office supplies, machine leases and utilities. In mid-July 2006, we moved our headquarters and principal
30
executive
offices to nearby office and warehouse space and accordingly, no longer have any obligation to pay Azteca under the verbal facilities arrangement.
In July 2003, under an asset purchase agreement, or Blue Concept APA, with Azteca, Hubert Guez and Paul Guez, our IAA subsidiary
acquired the Blue Concept Division of Azteca, a division which sold denim apparel primarily to American Eagle Outfitters, Inc., or AEO. Simultaneous with the Blue Concept APA, IAA entered into
a non-exclusive Supply Agreement with AZT for the purchase of denim products to be sold to AEO, which expired on July 17, 2005. Under the terms of the Supply Agreement, AZT agreed
that the purchase price on the products supplied would provide for a margin per unit of 15 percent. After the expiration of the supply agreement, we continued to use AZT as a supplier on a
purchase order basis for our AEO products under similar terms. Upon completion of the sale of IAA's private label division to Cygne Designs, Inc., or Cygne, as discussed in
"Note 15Discontinued Operations" of our Initial Report, Cygne assumed $2,500,000 of the amount owed to AZT under this purchase order supply arrangement.
The Blue Concept APA also provided for the calculation and payment, on a quarterly basis, to Sweet Sportswear LLC, an entity
owned by Hubert and Paul Guez, of an amount equal to 2.5 percent of the gross sales solely attributable to AEO. In May 2006, Cygne assumed the future liability associated with this payment.
We originally incurred long-term debt in connection with the purchase of the Blue Concept Division from Azteca. In July
2003, IAA issued a seven-year unsecured, convertible promissory note in the principal amount of $21.8 million, or the Blue Concept Note. The Blue Concept Note bore interest at a
rate of six percent and required payment of interest only during the first 24 months and then was fully amortized over the remaining five year period. On March 5, 2004, after stockholder
approval, a portion of the Blue Concept Note was converted into 3,125,000 shares of common stock at a value per share of $4.00. In May 2006, Cygne assumed the remaining principal balance of the Blue
Concept Note and Azteca released us from any and all remaining obligations. The Blue Concept Note has been reclassified as a discontinued operation liability. Under the terms of the original asset
purchase agreement, in addition to the shares previously issued, we issued on May 17, 2006 an additional 1,041,667 shares of our common stock as a result of its average stock price trading at
less than $3.00 per share for the period
between February 10, 2006 and March 12, 2006. This share issuance has been recognized in the Statement of Stockholders' Equity.
In August 2000, we entered into a supply agreement and a distribution agreement for our craft products with Commerce. In connection
with the sale of the craft inventory and certain other assets of our Innovo Inc. subsidiary in May 2005, both the supply agreement and the distribution agreement were terminated.
31
As of November 30, 2007 and November 25, 2006, respectively, the balances due (to) or due from these related parties and
certain of their affiliates are as follows:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
AZT International SA de CV
|
|
$
|
1,800
|
|
$
|
4,994
|
|
Commerce Investment Group
|
|
|
(2,822
|
)
|
|
(2,822
|
)
|
Sweet Sportswear, LLC
|
|
|
(4
|
)
|
|
(4
|
)
|
Cygne Design Inc.
|
|
|
(5
|
)
|
|
(5
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(1,031
|
)
|
$
|
2,163
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
AZT balance represented the balances due as a result of production efforts in Mexico as of November 30, 2007. Upon completion of the sale of our private label division to
Cygne, as discussed in "Note 15Discontinued Operations" of our Initial Report, Cygne assumed the aggregate liability in the amount of $2,500,000 owed to Commerce and its
affiliates. The balance due to Commerce represents the adjusted balance remaining that we continue to be obligated for after the completion of the transaction with Cygne. The balance of $5,000 due to
Cygne represented the amount we owed to Cygne as a result of certain chargebacks to former customers.
Current Related Party
JD Holdings Inc.
On February 7, 2001, we acquired a license for the rights to the Joe's® brand from JD Design LLC, which was
subsequently merged with and into JD Holdings. Under the license agreement, JD Holdings was entitled to a royalty of 3 percent on net sales of licensed products. In October 2005, we granted JD
Holdings the right to develop the children's
branded apparel line under an amendment to our master license agreement in exchange for a 5 percent royalty on net sales of those products. On October 25, 2007, in connection with the
merger, the license agreement terminated.
As
part of the consideration paid in connection with the completion of the merger, Mr. Dahan will be entitled to a certain percentage of the gross profit earned by Joe's in any
applicable fiscal year until October 2017. See "Note 4Merger Transaction" of our Initial Report for a further discussion on the merger agreement and the earn-out.
For
fiscal 2007 and 2006, the following table sets forth earn-out, royalties, fees and income paid in connection with the Joe's® brand.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2007
|
|
2006
|
|
2005
|
|
|
|
(in thousands)
|
|
Expense (income):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joe's Jeans royalty expense
|
|
$
|
1,647
|
|
$
|
1,363
|
|
$
|
999
|
|
|
Joes Kids license, royalty income
|
|
|
(88
|
)
|
|
(40
|
)
|
|
|
|
|
indie Design fee
|
|
|
|
|
|
39
|
|
|
42
|
|
As
a result of Mr. Dahan's appointment as a director and executive officer and his ownership of approximately 24 percent of our total shares outstanding, an additional
related party transaction occurred in the past fiscal year. Mr. Dahan's brother is the managing member of a company Shipson LLC, or Shipson, to whom we outsourced our E-shop
operated on our Joe's Jeans website. We sold our Joe's® products to Shipson at wholesale price on normal and customary terms and conditions similar to those that we offer other customers
to fulfill purchases by customers on the E-shop. As of November 30, 2007, Shipson owed $163,000 to us for purchase orders. Shipson no longer operates our E-shop.
32
In
October 2006, we entered into a collateral protection agreement with JD Holdings in connection with the pledge of certain collateral to CIT Commercial Services, a unit of the CIT
Group Inc., or CIT, for increased availability. Under the collateral protection agreement, we agreed to issue JD Holdings shares of its common stock in the event of a default under our
agreements with CIT. In October 2007 in connection with the merger and the release of the pledge by CIT, the collateral protection agreement was terminated.
9000 Sunset Office Space Sublease
On March 3, 2006, our Audit Committee approved a related party transaction whereby we subleased, at our current rate, our
executive office space to an entity owned by Suhail Rizvi, one of our directors, on a month-to-month basis. We believe that this transaction is in our best interest to reduce
our expenses associated with lease commitments. The transaction amount of such sublease was less than $120,000 in any fiscal year.
Director Independence
Currently, the following members of our Board of Directors are considered "independent" under NASDAQ listing standards and as such term
is defined in the rules and regulations of the SEC:
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Kelly Hoffman
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Thomas O'Riordan
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Suhail Rizvi
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Kent Savage
In
making its determination that the foregoing Directors are independent, the Board considered all relevant facts and circumstances. The Board considered the sublease of our office space
to an entity owned by Mr. Rizvi. The Board concluded that the sublease does not impact Mr. Rizvi's independence. We do not have any past or present members serving on our Audit
Committee, Compensation and Stock Option Committee and Nominating and Governance Committee that are not considered to be independent.
SECTION 16 BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, as amended, requires our directors, officers and persons who beneficially own more than ten
percent of a registered class of our equity securities, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership with the SEC on a timely basis. Directors, officers and greater than ten percent
beneficial owners are required by the SEC's regulations to furnish us with copies of all Section 16(a) forms they file.
Based
solely on a review of copies of such forms furnished to us and certain of our internal records, or upon written representations from officers, directors and greater than ten
percent beneficial owners that no Form 5 was required, we believe that during the year ended November 30, 2007, all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to our directors,
officers and greater than ten percent beneficial owners were satisfied on a timely basis.
FEES PAID TO THE INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
For the fiscal years ended November 30, 2007 and November 25, 2006, E&Y billed the approximate fees as described below.
Audit Fees
Fees for audit services totaled approximately $574,000 for the year ended November 30, 2007 and $569,000 for the year ended
November 25, 2006, including fees associated with the annual audit,
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reviews
of our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and assistance with and review of registration statements filed with the SEC including consents and comfort letters related to
registration statements for equity issuances and our stock incentive plan.
Audit-Related Fees
Fees for audit-related services totaled approximately $0 for the year ended November 30, 2007 and $97,800 for the year ended
November 25, 2006. Audit related services for fiscal 2006 principally included assistance with an audit and accounting consultations in connection with the disposition of assets of our private
label apparel division in May 2006.
Tax Fees
Fees for tax services, including tax compliance and tax return preparation, tax advice, and tax planning, totaled approximately
$107,000 for the year ended November 30, 2007 and $95,000 for the year ended November 25, 2006.
All Other Fees
There were no other fees for the years ended November 30, 2007 and November 25, 2006, respectively.
The
Audit Committee has adopted a policy which requires the Audit Committee's pre-approval of audit and non-audit services performed by the independent auditor to
assure that the provision of such services does not impair the auditor's independence. The Audit Committee approves such services on an on going basis prior to the incurrence of any such audit and
non-audit services. The Audit Committee pre-approved all of the audit and non-audit services rendered by E&Y listed above.
The
Audit Committee has determined that the services provided by E&Y were compatible with maintaining E&Y's independence.
OTHER BUSINESS TO BE TRANSACTED
As of the date of this proxy statement, the Board of Directors knows of no other business which may come before the annual meeting. If
any other business is properly brought before the annual meeting, it is the intention of the proxy holders to vote or act in accordance with their best judgment with respect to such matters.
34
JOE'S JEANS INC.
PROXY FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008
THIS PROXY IS BEING SOLICITED ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
The stockholder (whose signature appears on the reverse side of this proxy card) of Joe's Jeans Inc., or the Company, hereby
appoints Marc B. Crossman with full power of substitution, as proxy to cast all votes, as designated below, which the undersigned stockholder is entitled to cast at the 2008 annual meeting of
stockholders to be held on Thursday, November 6, 2008, at 9:00 a.m. (local time) at the Doubletree Hotel, 5757 Telegraph Road, Commerce, California 90040 upon the following matters and
any other matter as may properly come before the 2008 annual meeting of stockholders or any adjournments thereof.
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1.
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Election
of seven directors to serve on the Board of Directors until the 2009 annual meeting of stockholders or until their respective successors are elected
and qualified:
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(1) Samuel J. Furrow
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(2) Marc B. Crossman
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(3) Joe Dahan
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(4) Kelly Hoffman
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(5) Thomas O'Riordan
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(6) Suhail R. Rizvi
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(7) Kent Savage
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FOR
all the nominees listed above (except as marked to the
contrary below).
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WITHHOLD AUTHORITY
to vote for all the nominees listed
above.
(INSTRUCTION:
TO WITHHOLD AUTHORITY TO VOTE FOR ANY INDIVIDUAL NOMINEE, STRIKE THAT NOMINEE'S NAME FROM THE LIST ABOVE.)
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2.
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Proposal
to ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the fiscal year
ending November 30, 2008.
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FOR
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AGAINST
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ABSTAIN
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This
proxy, when properly executed, will be voted as directed by the undersigned stockholder and in accordance with the best judgment of the proxies as to other matters.
IF NO DIRECTION IS GIVEN, THIS PROXY WILL BE VOTED "FOR" THE
NOMINEES LISTED IN PROPOSAL 1, "FOR" PROPOSAL 2 AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE BEST JUDGMENT OF THE PROXIES AS TO OTHER
MATTERS.
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o
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I PLAN TO ATTEND THE NOVEMBER 6, 2008 ANNUAL MEETING OF
STOCKHOLDERS.
PLEASE COMPLETE, DATE AND SIGN THIS PROXY AND RETURN IT PROMPTLY TO ENSURE A QUORUM AT THE MEETING. IT IS IMPORTANT WHETHER YOU OWN FEW OR
MANY SHARES. DELAY IN RETURNING YOUR PROXY MAY SUBJECT THE COMPANY TO ADDITIONAL EXPENSE.
(continued
and to be dated and signed on reverse side.)
(continued
from other side)
I/we
hereby revoke any other proxy to vote at the Annual Meeting, and hereby ratify and confirms all that said attorneys and proxies, and each of them, may lawfully do by virtue hereof.
With respect to matters not known at the time of the solicitation hereof, said proxies are authorized to vote in accordance with their best judgment.
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS A VOTE "FOR" THE NOMINEES LISTED IN PROPOSAL 1 AND "FOR" PROPOSAL 2.
I/we
hereby acknowledge prior receipt of the notice of annual meeting of stockholders and proxy statement dated September 23, 2008, the Annual Report on
Form 10-K and Amendment No. 1 for the year ended November 30, 2007 and hereby revoke any proxy or proxies heretofore given. This proxy may be revoked at any time
before it is voted by delivering to the Secretary of the Company either a written revocation of proxy or a duly executed proxy bearing a later date, or by appearing at the 2008 annual meeting of
stockholders and voting in person.
If
you receive more than one proxy card, please sign and return all cards in the accompanying envelope.
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Date: , 2008.
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Signature of Stockholder or Authorized Representative
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Please date and sign exactly as name appears hereon. Each executor, administrator, trustee, guardian, attorney-in-fact and other fiduciary should sign and indicate his or her full title. In the case of stock ownership in the name of two or more
persons, all persons should sign.
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VOTE BY TELEPHONE OR INTERNET
QUICK *** EASY *** IMMEDIATE
Joe's Jeans, Inc.
Voting by telephone or Internet is quick, easy and immediate.
As a Joe's Jeans, Inc. stockholder, you have the
option of voting your shares electronically through the Internet or on the telephone, eliminating the need to return the proxy card. Your electronic vote authorizes the named proxies to vote your
shares in the same manner as if you marked, signed, dated and returned the proxy card. Votes submitted electronically over the Internet or by telephone must be received by 7:00 p.m., Eastern Daylight
Saving Time, on November 5, 2008.
To Vote Your Proxy By Internet
www.continentalstock.com
Have your proxy card available when you access the above website. Follow the prompts to vote your shares.
To Vote Your Proxy By Phone
1-866-894-0537
Use any touch-tone telephone to vote your proxy. Have your proxy card available when you call. Follow the voting instructions to vote your shares.
PLEASE DO NOT RETURN THE CARD BELOW IF YOU ARE VOTING ELECTRONICALLY OR BY PHONE.
To Vote Your Proxy By Mail
Mark, sign and date your proxy card below, detach it and return it in the postage-paid envelope provided.
QuickLinks
JOE'S JEANS INC. 5901 South Eastern Avenue Commerce, California 90040 (323) 837-3700
JOE'S JEANS INC. 5901 South Eastern Avenue Commerce, California 90040 (323) 837-3700
NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS
STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE PROXY MATERIALS AND THE ANNUAL MEETING
JOE'S JEANS INC. 5901 SOUTH EASTERN AVENUE COMMERCE, CALIFORNIA 90040
PROXY STATEMENT
ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008
PROPOSAL 1
ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
PROPOSAL 2
RATIFICATION OF SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE REPORT
REPORT OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE
RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
SECTION 16 BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP REPORTING COMPLIANCE
FEES PAID TO THE INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
OTHER BUSINESS TO BE TRANSACTED
JOE'S JEANS INC. PROXY FOR ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS TO BE HELD ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008
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