I think it is a smart move for J.Crew to enter the international market by using Net-a-Porter's existing channels. However, I am not such a fan about J.Crew offering styles exclusive to Net-a-Porter.Unlikely Bedfellows
By Elizabeth Licata
Racked NY
February 22, 2010
J.Crew will be sold on Net-a-Porter starting in May. Net-a-Porter has a reputation for high-end, high-fashion clothes with a certain amount of editorial, insidery street cred. J.Crew does not.
But J.Crew wants to go global, as it currently only sells in the U.S. and Japan, and Net-a-Porter can give it that, as the online retailer ships to more than 170 countries. To sweeten the deal, J.Crew will be offering new styles and colors that will be exclusive to Net-a-Porter.
Incidentally, I find it interesting how J.Crew's CEO Mickey Drexler makes it a big point to say that J.Crew can't be found through any other outlet (e.g. distributor/ seller). That J.Crew is exclusive to J.Crew stores only— which not only builds the brand, but saves costs on not sharing the profit pie with anyone else. Now J.Crew has just gone ahead to have their products sold through another company! I should add that I totally get the purpose of this is to go global (and that makes complete sense to me). However, there is a bit of irony here. :)
What are your thoughts on this partnership? Do you think it is a smart move for J.Crew to enter an international market through Net-a-Porter's interface?
I'm not sure why they don't just do it themselves, but I think it's a good idea. I actually love the idea of exclusive pieces for Net-a-Porter. My only issue with JCrew is that the popular pieces are everywhere, so it would be nice to have some special pieces. I love NAP customer service, etc. so I think it's a good match.
ReplyDeleteInteresting! I do think it's a good change. I am also excited about the exclusive pieces for the same reason as Kate. I'll be interested to see if J.Crew can transition to the higher end seamlessly and successfully.
ReplyDeleteNet-a-Porter offers such good service, this seems like a smart way for J.Crew to enter the world retailing stage with minimal investment.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing the Collection pieces will be prominently featured.
P.S. Thanks for the shout-out!
Interesting. Very interesting. It'll be fun to see what kind of pieces they carry, and NAP has awesome customer service- so bring it on, I say.
ReplyDeleteI like it. I am thinking this part of their ultimate attempt at world domination, lol. I will say that NAP has good service - so hopefully that will jive with what JC already does. Bring on some new stuff!
ReplyDeleteHmmm... so now I'll have to check NAP for new arrivals too!
ReplyDeleteP.S. I was in my Mill Valley, CA store today and they said new arrivals would be out on Thursday. Can't wait!
As a silent devotee of J.Crew, I'm somewhat happy that J.Crew would be stocked within NAP, however, it does beg the question why not do it themselves? If forever21.com can do it, surely J.Crew can also?
ReplyDeleteJ. Crew will need to up their game as far as quality.
ReplyDeleteI know I won't take the time to check the Net a Porter site if the items are not on the regular JCrew site but interesting...
ReplyDeleteAbout 2-3 years ago SCOOP store in NY was selling J Crew embossed cotton beach dresses. Strapless ones and simple sleeveless with waistband. Almost all colors and sizes. At some point SCOOP was selling them on home shopping channel too.
ReplyDeleteI thought that was strang.
Strange, sorry.
ReplyDeleteI think they will mostly sell collection items as regular J Crew stuff to people in other country is too cheap looking (and cheap). I'm interested in those exclusive pieces.
When I was in Korea last year I couldn't access Jcrew.com. I emailed and was told that I couldn't access the website from Korean IP address.
Interesting...
Net-A-Porter has two website the US and the UK. And I don't think you can have items shipped to the US anymore from the UK site. And the UK site has items that aren't available on the US website.
ReplyDeleteWell, they do sell in Canada from the regular jcrew.com site so the article isn't correct to say that it's only in the U.S. and Japan. If it ups the quality quotient that would be a good thing.
ReplyDeleteSC...I ordered a pair of Lanvin falts in Dec from the UK site and had them shipped to US. I think you can still order from UK and ship US it's a lot of $$ in shipping.
ReplyDeleteI agree that if NAP is going to offer Jcrew, which will most likely only be the collection pieces, the quality must increase 10 fold. I think the collection pieces, while unique, have horrible quality. The cuts are bad, the fabric is thin, and stitching poor. This is the complete opposite of what you get from other designers on NAP. I think Jcrew has become "disposable clothing" in terms of quality.
Thanks for telling me. One of their reps told me no. And they have some items that never make it to the US site.
ReplyDelete