JNY Jones Grp.

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

Filed by the Registrant   x                              Filed by a Party other than the Registrant   ¨

Check the appropriate box:

THE JONES GROUP, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

As previously announced, on December 19, 2013, The Jones Group Inc. (the “Company”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Jasper Parent LLC (“Parent”) and Jasper Merger Sub, Inc. (“Merger Sub”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent, providing for the merger of Merger Sub with and into the Company (the “Merger”), with the Company surviving the Merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Surviving Corporation”). Parent and Merger Sub are beneficially owned by affiliates of Sycamore Partners, L.P. and Sycamore Partners A, L.P. (collectively, the “Sponsor”).

Substantially concurrent with the closing of the Merger, Parent intends to transfer ownership of certain of the Company’s business lines to separate controlled affiliates of the Sponsor. Following completion of such transfers, the Surviving Corporation’s business (the “RemainCo Business”) will be comprised of the Nine West Business and the Jeanswear Business (each as defined in the Merger Agreement, which the Company previously filed as Exhibit 2.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K on December 23, 2013), together with certain corporate level assets and obligations to be retained by the Surviving Corporation.

On February 26, 2014, amendment no. 2 to the commitment letter relating to the debt financing for the RemainCo Business was entered into providing for, among other things, a new senior unsecured term loan facility in an amount up to $250 million. The senior unsecured term loan facility is uncommitted and will be marketed to prospective lenders on a best efforts basis. To the extent that the senior unsecured term loan facility is successfully syndicated, the amended commitment letter provides that the Sponsor’s equity commitment shall be reduced on a dollar for dollar basis by the amount of net cash proceeds from the unsecured term loan facility received by the Surviving Corporation on the closing date. The Surviving Corporation will be the borrower under the unsecured term loan facility and the facility will be guaranteed by each of the Surviving Corporation’s domestic wholly-owned subsidiaries.

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This communication is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Statements about the expected timing, completion and effects of the proposed Merger, and all other statements made in this communication that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, these forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “may”, “will”, “expect”, “plan”, “anticipate”, “believe”, or “project”, or the negative of those words or other comparable words. Any forward-looking statements included in this communication are made as of the date hereof only, based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and subject to applicable law to the contrary, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the projected results in such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others: any conditions imposed on the parties in connection with the consummation of the transactions described herein; approval of the Merger by the Company’s shareholders (or the failure to obtain such approval); the Company’s ability to maintain relationships with customers, employees or suppliers following the announcement of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby; the ability of third parties to fulfill their obligations relating to the proposed transactions, including providing financing under current financial market conditions; the ability of the parties to satisfy the conditions to closing of the proposed transactions; the risk that the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement may not be completed in the time frame expected by the parties or at all; and the risks that are described from time to time in the Company’s reports filed with the SEC, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2013, filed with the SEC on February 18, 2014, in other of the Company’s filings with the SEC from time to time, including Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and on general industry and economic conditions.

The Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable; however, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations. Any or all of the Company’s forward-looking statements may turn out to be wrong. They can be affected by inaccurate assumptions or by known or unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the Company’s control.

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Additional Information and Where to Find It

This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the proposed acquisition of the Company by affiliates of the Sponsor. In connection with the proposed Merger, the Company has filed a preliminary proxy statement and other related documents with the SEC. The Company intends to file a definitive proxy statement with the SEC. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, THE COMPANY’S SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ ALL RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC, INCLUDING THE COMPANY’S DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED MERGER. The Company’s shareholders will be able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the definitive proxy statement (when available) and other relevant documents filed with the SEC from the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company’s shareholders will also be able to obtain, without charge, a copy of the definitive proxy statement and other relevant documents (when available) by directing a request by mail or telephone to The Jones Group Inc. Investor Relations at 1411 Broadway, New York, NY 10018, telephone number (212) 703-9819, or from the Company’s website, www.jonesgroupinc.com.

Certain Information Concerning Participants

The Company and its directors and officers and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s shareholders with respect to the proposed Merger. Information about the Company’s directors and executive officers and their ownership of the Company’s common stock is set forth in the proxy statement for the Company’s 2013 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, which was filed with the SEC on May 15, 2013. Shareholders may obtain additional information regarding the interests of the Company and its directors and executive officers in the proposed Merger, which may be different than those of the Company’s shareholders generally, by reading the proxy statement and other relevant documents regarding the proposed Merger filed with the SEC. Investors should read the definitive proxy statement carefully when it becomes available before making any voting or investment decisions.

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