James Perse began his career introducing a line of baseball caps in 1991 at his father's boutique, Maxfield, in Los Angeles, CA. Three years later, he created a line of t-shirts that were both high quality and casual. Following these clothing lines came two women's collections: Standard James Perse and James Perse Los Angeles.

Standard James Perse offers a high end line of basics while James Perse Los Angeles has sophisticated yet low maintenance dresses, pants, sweaters, and jackets.

This minimalist appeal translated into yet another clothing line for men, children, and babies in 1998.