Creative Director & Founder at Buttermilk Creative, Co-host of the Kirk + Kurtts Design Podcast, Board Member, Mentor
Just finished reading "The Kingdom of Prep: The Inside Story of the Rise and (Near) Fall of J.Crew" by Maggie Bullock, and it’s a fascinating deep dive into what was once a cornerstone of the American retail landscape. We often visited our local J.Crew store to refresh our corporate office-mandated business casual attire, and it was always a breath of fresh air. The experience made you feel good—at least in your clothes—even if you were about to drone the next eight hours in a cubicle. I particularly loved their various collaborations. My favorite was a pair of Sperry Chukka Boat Shoes. J.Crew was also my introduction to heritage brands like Red Wing Shoe Co., which I had only read about from men's style bloggers like Max Wastler and Michael Williams. It was one of the first places I heard the term "selvedge". Their “Liquor Store” men’s specialty shop was a stroke of genius, albeit heavily inspired by Freeman's, a bar and restaurant in NYC known for its rustic Americana decor. The book highlighted that I started shopping at J.Crew during what could be considered its second peak—or perhaps the beginning of its decline—under the leadership of Millard 'Mickey' Drexler and Jenna Lyons. It was intriguing to learn about the brand’s roots as a mail-order catalog based in New Jersey, the Cinader family and its transformation into a fashion powerhouse. At that time in my professional life, J.Crew offered an affordable (we only shopped the clearance rack) and accessible link to fashion typically seen only in big cities or abroad. Ironically, the very thing that attracted me—the retail store experience—eventually became one of their downfalls due to expensive and widespread expansion that strained the brand’s financial stability. These days, I spend more time in shorts and thrifted vintage button-downs, but I still have a couple of token J.Crew chambray shirts in the closet that I just can’t part with. Who else haunted the halls of J.Crew stores in the late 2000s? Or does anyone still shop there? #Branding #Leadership #Innovation #Resilience #DesignThinking #ButtermilkCreative
Chief Creative Strategist, Honestly // Creative Director, Studio H // Co-host of podcast Two Designers Walk Into a Bar // Collage Artist // Mentor, Adviser and Entrepreneur // Trivia Player
2moIn high school in the late '80s the J Crew catalog was the preppy bible. I remember the popular kids (and the strivers in their shadow) all having it at school the day after it arrived in their mailboxes, back when it was only mail order. That's peak J Crew for me.