Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Behind the Seams: Frank Muytjens

"Thanks!" to the author Cory (at Valet), as well as Matt & J.Crew Guy in Canada, who shared the following great article from Valet (click here).

Behind the Seams: Frank Muytjens
Meet the Man Responsible for the New J.Crew

By Cory Ohlendorf

August 3, 2009


Last year, when Frank Muytjens was appointed as J.Crew's Vice President of Men's Design, the company was on the cusp of a cultural change. They had been updating their men's line, improving quality and style but were hoping to elevate the brand during this renaissance of American menswear. Muytjens was the right man for the job. He had been designing at J.Crew for four years, but previous gigs at Ralph Lauren, first at the rugged RRL and later at the more refined Blue Label, also prepped the Dutch-born designer for J.Crew's new place your wardrobe—where suits mix with Red Wing boots or a Mister Freedom T-shirt is topped with a classic Barbour jacket. We caught up with Mr. Muytjens to learn more about the man behind the brand and what to look for this fall.


You were born and raised in the Netherlands and ended up designing for two of the most quintessentially American companies...

Growing up, I was always drawn to the historic part of American culture. I had this romantic idea of crossing the US in a camper, visiting the national parks and other iconic places. But it wasn't until I visited New York for the first time, in 1985, that I fell in love with the city and really got interested in all things Americana. I had just graduated from college, and I remember being heavily influenced by that trip. I remember in my final project I used dollar coins as buttons on sportcoats, and I enlarged parts of dollar bills, using them as Warhol-esque graphic prints on old army sweatshirts.


So before you discovered Americana, what were some of your influences growing up?

It was just as punk and new wave were about to blow up and show their influence in fashion. Everything that came from London seemed so new and innovative. Fashion and music magazines like The Face and ID—and later Vanity and Per Lui—were a huge influence on me.

When did you know you wanted to be a designer?

I started out as a fashion illustrator in college. I always thought the works of Antonio and Mats were very inspiring, but gradually I realized I enjoyed designing, pattern-making and sewing much more. It was just a natural evolution.


Describe your design process ...

It's a combination of thinking about who our guy is, what music he listens to, what his house looks like. We build a story. I find inspiration in everything from street fashion to old films. I tend to immerse myself with materials like tears from books and magazines, fabric swatches, vintage pieces, movies, old album covers and found objects. The line really grows from there.


Your experiments with collaborations have been really successful. Have those been important to push the men's line forward?

Yes, I think they perfectly represent our aesthetic. For us, it was about building relationships with brands who have a story to tell, brands with an old world feel, brands who have been doing what they've been doing for over a century and haven't change their product—or logo, for that matter—because of trends.


And how do they come about?

Most of the brands we now carry are brands that have been personal favorites for many years. The team and I have always been huge fans of Red Wing, Russell Moccasins, vintage Levis and Alden. We've been wearing them forever ourselves, so it was an easy connection for us to make.


Any upcoming ones you'd like to tell us about?
I'm really exited about Inverallan, a traditional Scottish knitwear company specializing in Aran fishermen's sweaters. We're doing a limited edition collaboration with them for this fall.


J.Crew really excels at those small changes and tweaks to classics which make them seem modern yet timeless. Would you say that's the right read?

Absolutely! To us it's about being subtle and understated, giving the guy garments which only will get better with age, pieces you can wear more then one season. I think in menswear you have to be consistent and persistent.


What are your thoughts on the article? Were there any points made that you found particularly insightful? What are your thoughts on J.Crew's menswear, since Frank Muytjens took over? Have you noticed any differences (for the better or worse)?

10 comments:

  1. To be honest, I never pay much attention to J.Crew's menswear! I have noticed that it is a classic style and I appreciate that :)

    I think his stint at RL definitely helped J.Crew because RL is known for its classic clean designs :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. The men's line has become stronger each season in recent years. I can see a definite connection between the improvements and what I spend at J.Crew. It's now at the point where over 80% of my clothing comes from them. Well done Frank.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hoping they bring the Scottish knitwear to the women's line!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I buy quite a few clothes from J.Crew for my husband. The look works with his style and they are fairly well made for the most part. I'm not so crazy about the collaborations though. Haven't seen anything yet that is a must have.

    As for the Scottish knitwear, there are several such stores here that offer extensive product lines and they will even custom make most anything for you. I'll have to check out what the crew is offering this fall, just to see how it stacks up.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks for the article. I love reading about the J Crew designers. Mr. Muytjens is one of my favorites. Moreover, I think the menswear line looks fantastic. As a woman, I don't wear it or buy it (I'm often tempted to buy the sweaters in a size XS, though). I can't make any judgments about quality. But, I often find myself drooling over the colors and fabrics (especially when it comes to jeans and button-down shirts).

    On a related note, the blogger behind A Continuous Lean (a menswear blog) recently wrote that he would be partnering with J Crew. I can't wait to see what that entails.

    www.acontinuouslean.com/2009/07/25/bear-with-us/

    ReplyDelete
  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The collaborations are really winning over a lot of in-the-knows. Its quite brilliant, right? Elevate your brand almost instantly by striking deals with the icons in the industry.

    Its a win-win for all.

    Except for my wallet!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Interesting interview, thanks for sharing! I like Muytjens' approach.

    ReplyDelete
  9. OT, but what day do codes usually come out? Trying to estimate the liklehood of 20% off FS tomorrow... What say you, JCA? ; )


    PS- what has been your experience with trying to get a price adjustment a few days after a code comes out?

    ReplyDelete

Dear J.Crew Aficionadas & Aficionados: Please feel free (and encouraged) to share your thoughts and opinions. :) However, please note that this is still a personal blog. So comments that are considered inappropriate (e.g. obscene, racist, homophobic, personal attacks, rude, and just plain mean) will be removed.

And now back to J.Crew! :)