"
Thanks!" to many of you, including
Kelly,
GigisGoneShopping,
bostonlizpoms, as well as
ShopALot (in
this post), who shared the following press release (from the Wall Street Journal, click
here to read in its entirety) with us:
Gap Inc. Announces Marissa Webb as Creative Director and Executive Vice President of Design for Banana Republic
PRESS RELEASE
April 15, 2014
Gap Inc. today announced that Banana Republic has named Marissa Webb as Creative Director and Executive Vice President of Design, effective April 28. She will be responsible for guiding the brand's overall creative direction, as well as leading global product design for Banana Republic Women's, Men's, and Accessories. Marissa will report to Global President of Banana Republic, Jack Calhoun.
"I am so excited for Marissa to bring her own special touch to the brand, " said Calhoun. "What she delivers today is so fresh and relevant, I know her design sensibility will move Banana Republic forward in our effort to deliver Modern American style. I can't wait to have her on board."
A celebrated fashion designer, Marissa Webb is most recently known for her eponymous upper contemporary label. Prior to branching out on her own during 2011, she spent time at Polo, Club Monaco and over a decade at J.Crew Group Inc., where she served in various design roles, including Head of Womenswear and Accessories Design. Webb will retain her role as President and Creative Director at Marissa Webb (M Webb LLC), in addition to her newly appointed role at Banana Republic. Webb's first collection for Banana Republic is expected in the summer of 2015.
"I'm thrilled to be joining the extremely passionate, talented design and creative teams at Banana Republic," said Webb. "The brand has such a beautiful history which I truly admire. This is an amazing opportunity for me to combine my unique vision with a brand that has such a strong legacy. I'm excited to be joining Banana Republic and being able to make an impact for our modern customer."
Gap Inc. also announced that it intends to join M Webb LLC's minority investors by investing in the Marissa Webb label. Initially launched exclusively at Barneys New York, the Marissa Webb Collection is now available in over 30 stores globally, inclusive of select locations within Gap's Intermix division, as well as online. Calhoun will work with Webb as a strategic partner in the growth and development of her business. ...
So many random thoughts going through my head right now that I will just jot down a few:
- So happy to see Marissa Webb back! Okay, Marissa Webb did not go anywhere. In fact, she started her own
clothing line, so she was definitely somewhere doing something. (It was just too pricey for my wallet, so she kind of dropped out of my shopping radar.) I am so excited to
hear about her latest news...
- Why didn't she return to J.Crew? Did they even make her an offer? J.Crew should have totally offered her a position to come back. Her time at the company definitely showed in the clothes. The styles were on point, on trend, in season, etc. (You get the point!) ;) It was apparent the collections were never quite the same after she left.
- I totally get why she went over to the Gap/BR though. Investing in Webb's private venture so she continue her line is a pretty sweet deal.
- I am curious what Webb's collection at BR will look like? Will it trend more J.Crew in its approach? Will it give J.Crew a run for its money? I have not shopped at BR in a long time. I will definitely be checking them out now!
What are your thoughts on this latest news? Are you happy to see Marissa Webb back at styling more affordable (relatively speaking) pieces?
"Thanks!" to many of you, including Kelly, GigisGoneShopping, bostonlizpoms, as well as ShopALot (in this post), who shared the following press release (from the Wall Street Journal, click here to read in its entirety) with us:
I wonder what she'll do with Banana's material. There's a lot of poly there.
ReplyDeleteI was just going to say the same thing! I hope she pushes them back to better fabrics. They used to do real silks, etc. I used to buy from them a lot but have all but stopped due to the cheap fabrics used.
DeleteEven their natural fabrics need improving. The silks that they do have are so thin.
DeleteBanana has been working on it's reinvention for a while now, will be curious to see how this plays through. From Marissa's POV, this is her opportunity to shine her own light, and not get lost behind the juggernaut that is Jenna. Totally makes sense, and I'll be very curious to watch how the moves start to line up. As much as Drexler and Jenna innovate, they've got a lot of A players lined up right behind them, and if there's nowhere to go, more of these deals could start to play out.
ReplyDeleteI'm excited, but wish we didn't have to wait over a year to see what she comes up with.
ReplyDeleteI am soooo excited. BR has had too many synthetics in the last few years, which I am not ever going to buy. 2008 and earlier BR pieces are fab - I've picked up alot of them on eBay and at thrift stores. Silk twill, silk jersey... very nice.
ReplyDeleteI am with Cass, I hope this change will bring nice silks, etc., back to BR. I rarely shop there now. I bought one 100% wool suit on clearance, and a couple of cardigans, that's it in the past year.
I was really excited to see this! I haven't shopped at BR much in a few years (though I do love their cotton buttondowns) and this hire will certainly inspire me to stop by.
ReplyDeleteMarissa Webb held a sample sale in NYC a week or two ago. I missed it because I was traveling for work but a friend who went said the samples were amazing, the staff was friendly and the prices were great. I'm so glad Ms. Webb's private line will continue!
This is great news. I am not sure that her direction will translate into bringing back natural fabrics (as it seems a sign of the times) but she has a vision and she has a very modern sensibility. There is nobody else in the business who can cut a shirt like Marissa. Welcome back to the mall!
ReplyDeleteI am so excited!
ReplyDeleteThis is FABULOUS! IMO, of the three stores in the GAP family, BR is the one who most needs an infusion of something new. GAP and Old Navy have a pretty clear image, and I can often look at a piece of clothing and recognize it as GAP or ON, just as I can for JC. Most of BR's stuff just looks generically like work clothes. As the highest end store in the GAP group, it makes sense that Marissa would go there and hopefully we will see a more interesting and signature style emerge.
ReplyDeleteOT: I have a $25 off $100 Madewell coupon that I'm not using. The coupon expires tonight. Email me at jcrewismyfavstore@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteThe code has been claimed.
DeleteI'm really excited that Marissa Webb is joining Banana Republic. I stopped shopping BR after Deborah Lloyd left (for Kate Spade) but I may start shopping there again when Webb's designs start hitting the floor. J Crew better watch out... Webb is amazing.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually really happy she's going to help out BR. Banana was my favorite go-to brand for years, but they've been a snore to me for at least 5, maybe 10 years. I'm excited to see what she will do with the brand!
ReplyDeleteI agree with so many of the commenters! I was almost exclusively a Banana girl in my 20's. But they started to change, and I no longer saw myself in the brand (plus, the synthetics and fit became off-putting). So excited to have Marissa back in the mix (in my price range). Smart move, Gap/BR!
ReplyDeleteHere's a Madewell code for $25 off $100 good through midnight tonight. Please post if you use it.
ReplyDeleteMEA3DM5LX
I am interested to see what Marissa comes up with, but like Ema I think her participation won't mean they go back to nice fabrics. It will be lovely things that are in polyester so I am fairly sure I won't be buying. I'll wait and see though!
Thanks for posting so quickly, Alexis, to kick off the discussion!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this will change promos next year at BR. If items start selling out closer to fp because of great designs, we might see fewer promos or fewer 40%. They could barely give the stuff away last year
I'm with Wendy and was almost exclusively BR until J Crew courted me in 2006 and won me over in 2008.
Very curious to see! I hope a year passes quickly. I guess we'll get our first look this fall for SP15, right?
I've always been a huge supporter of Webb when she was at J.Crew. I miss her designs so much, and I too can't afford to shell out $ on her own line.
ReplyDeleteI am happy that she'll be creative director for BR. I don't own any clothes for BR since I was never a fan..but I hope under her helm, BR will come out with fun pieces.
That will be competition for J.Crew. They better step it up, or get rid of Mora.
This is going to be a very unpopular opinion..but they need to get rid of Jenna. The buck stops with her. If lines aren't being edited, quality continues to plummet and weird designs languish in sales for eternity...they need to start at the top. At some point jc needs to realize that not every woman wants to walk around as a Jenna clone or that her outfits just don't work for the majority of America. I have felt that the more Jenna becomes part of pop culture...the more lazy the designs become. Her focus needs to go back to quality and design. In my opinion. Don't throw shoes at me!!! Also...super excited about this news and like everyone else...can't wait to start shopping at BR again. I'm spending about 10% of what I used to spend monthly at jcrew and have been buying more high end designers...would love for marissa to work some magic and make BR a viable option again!
DeleteI don't think she needs to go, but I do think they've gotten lazy in assuming women are built like Jenna and relying on that to carry the clothes. Most things do look good on someone built like Jenna. The challenge lies in designing clothes that also look good on other body types. They could improve on that a bit.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLet me just dust off my Banana Republic card over here. I for one cannot wait to see how she improves their clothing. I haven't been regularly shopping there in years.
ReplyDeleteMarissa Webb is on Instagram, if you didn't know.
ReplyDeleteA little OT but not really. I can't count the number of times that I have recreated that simple but chic outfit that she's wearing in the top of this post.
ReplyDeleteBR clothes don't fit me well. I hope that changes with Marissa on board.
ReplyDeleteThis is very exciting news! Marissa definitely made positive changes at J.Crew, so hopefully she will do the same for BR. If so, I just might start shopping there again. Will definitely be looking forward to seeing what changes she makes for them.
ReplyDeleteHoping she brings a "Wow" factor to BR. Some years ago BR was fantastic..then over the years, the store seemed to get lost in the cracks. The quality isn't quite there anymore and many of the pieces just fall short of good fit, construction. The Milly line last year was very good but the rest of the stuff is just "meh". Another thing--whereas J. Crew factory has decent items, BR factory store is 100 percent garbage. Gap has improved so lets see what happens with BR....
ReplyDeleteBR does office wear very well, with their classic fabrics and better fabrics and construction (talking about their stretch wool suiting pieces here). While I'm excited that MW will undoubtedly breath some fresh air into BRs design department, I'm also a little wary that the cuts of the staple items will change. Major fail if they copy the "JC cut". Like others noted, not everyone is shaped like Jenna, or want to look like her. Similarly, not everyone is shaped like MW.
ReplyDeleteHappy dance! I'm just sittin' here smilin'. Oh, and my plans for the rest of 2014? Save money, purge closet, save more money, throw out more stuff. I will be ready to shop when the time comes. Oh, and if it turns out that I don't care for what BR has to offer, at least I'll have some extra closet space and some extra $. Happy dance!
ReplyDeleteWow. Just, wow. I have been reading and looking and searching to see who was going to head BR next since this Simon fellow was leaving. I can't believe it's Marissa Webb. Of course, it also makes sense. I just love her. I just went to her sample sale--so many gorgeous pieces of clothing. She's a true designer....I hope she still keeps up with her own label (it says she will). She's so talented.
ReplyDeleteBR my go-to in the mid 00's and earlier when I was working. I bought mostly work clothes there at that time. I really hope she comes up with excellent casual pieces for BR. Since I'm a sahm, I have no need for suits, but would love to go back to BR if they had nice offerings again.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Jenna and Mickey and Mora think of all the enthusiasm we're showing for Marissa Webb joining Banana. Or perhaps more importantly, what do the investors think? There had been a lot of talk recently about going public again, and this kind of news reflects valuation.
ReplyDeleteVery excited about the news and interested to see what BR will look like in about a year. I have been buying more BR lately, mainly with suiting. And almost all my button downs in the past year have come from BR. I can remember when J.Crew was my go-to for button downs, now it is BR...the fit is much better for me, even if the prints aren't as exciting.
ReplyDeleteCome on 2015.....
SO super excited to hear Marissa designing in an affordable line. I rarely shop JCrew since she left (Madewell instead) but now I may revisit BR once her influence trickles down to their designs. Hopefully more natural fabrics too.
ReplyDelete