Breaking News: Jenna Lyons is Leaving J.Crew

"Thanks!" to many of you, including Roamestudios, who shared the following article from the Business of Fashion (click here).

Jenna Lyons Exits J.Crew
By Lauren Sherman
April 3, 2017

BoF has learned that the specialty retailer's longtime creative mastermind is departing the company. Current J.Crew women's head Somsack Sikhounmuong will take over her design duties.

J.Crew’s Jenna Lyons is exiting the company after 26 years with the specialty retailer, BoF has learned.

"Jenna and I got together and we both agreed it was time for a change,” J.Crew chief executive Millard "Mickey" Drexler told BoF in an exclusive interview. "That being said, she’s got plans to do other things. It’s been a great run. There’s a lot of mutual respect between Jenna and me.”

“It has been beyond my wildest dreams to work with such an amazing team of people at such an incredible brand and alongside Mickey — one of retail’s most talented visionaries,” Lyons said in a statement. "I am excited about the next chapter for J.Crew as well as the opportunity for other creative leaders within the organisation to step up and take on new responsibilities. Having spent the better part of my life with J.Crew, I feel an immense pride and love for everyone at the company.”

Current J.Crew women’s head of design Somsack Sikhounmuong — who previously led sister label Madewell’s design and has been with the company since 2001 — will be promoted to chief design officer, overseeing the women’s, men’s and children's design teams effective immediately. All other creative departments that were reporting to Lyons — who was also president of the company — will now report to Drexler.

"Somsack and our design teams have a deep understanding of the aesthetic and style our customers rely on us to deliver, with a proven track record of driving creative vision in-line with our brand DNA,” Drexler said. "We are excited to extend Somsack’s vision across all design categories and look forward to the team’s contributions. As always, delivering the very best product, value and brand experience across channels is our top priority.”

Lyons joined J.Crew in 1990, although her role was elevated after Drexler came on board in 2003. Through their unique partnership, they managed to transform J.Crew into a cultural phenomenon, transforming the way a generation of American men and women dress with Lyons' energised, tongue-in-cheek take on classic preppy tropes. Her candy-coloured designs — from the now-classic "Bubble" necklace to the "No. 2" pencil skirt — impressed themselves on current fashion in a way rarely seen at the mass level. In 2010, Drexler promoted her to president, reflecting her influence in design and at the company.

At the same time, Lyons became something of a cultural icon in her own right, whose personal style — statement eyewear, oversize suiting, sequins for day — became copied the world over. Just this past Friday, Lyons was captured on J.Crew’s Instagram handle celebrating the retailer’s self-made holiday, National Stripes Day.

However, some say that Lyons' role had transitioned out of day-to-day design duties and more into a face for the brand. But like many specialty retailers, J.Crew has been squeezed by discount culture, the casualisation of dress and the consumer's penchant for fast fashion, which relies less on one well-defined aesthetic and more on moving trends quickly to the market. In its 2016 fiscal year, net sales at J.Crew were $2 billion, down 6 percent from the year previous. Sales at stores open at least one year were down 8 percent. Turnaround efforts — including a marked return to the preppy “basics” that performed so well in the past and diversification into athleisure with a multi-season collaboration with New Balance — have yet to move the needle.

The company’s top line has been somewhat boosted by the growth of Madewell, which saw net sales in 2016 increase 14 percent to $341.6 million, with comparable sales up 5 percent. But its debt — which totalled $1.5 billion, net of discount and deferred financing costs, at the end of last year — has proven an albatross, as it becomes current in 2018. J.Crew also has a $350 million revolving loan. The retailer has reportedly considered debt restructuring.

Lyons' post-J.Crew plans are not yet known, but the indelible mark she has made in defining American fashion for the past decade cannot go unacknowledged. As for J.Crew, this announcement is expected to be the first in a series of strategic changes that will allow it to perform in its next iteration.

Wow. I always thought she was being groomed to take over for Mickey Drexler when he decided to leave. So its interesting that is not happening. More interesting is whether or not it was her decision to leave...

Honestly, Jenna Lyons taste had evolved away from J.Crew's core style for many years now. While she was taking fashion forward risks, J.Crew's core customers were not. "Basics with a twist" is J.Crew's true mantra and not Jenna Lyons.

I am, of course, interested to see with Jenna's next move is. Whether she will be scooped up by another retailer or start her own line. Time will tell! ;)

Thoughts on the article? Disagree or agree with Ms. Lyon's leaving J.Crew?

Guessing Who Is Taking Over at J.Crew?

"Thanks!" to  many of you who gave us a heads up about J.Crew's most recent management change. The following from NY Mag's The Cut (click here to read in its entirety) sums up their current situation:

Madewell’s Designer Is Taking Over at J.Crew
By Véronique Hyland
June 10, 2015

It sounds like J.Crew is undergoing a bit of a shakeup: After the company reported woeful, possibly sweater-related results last week, some (in corporate parlance) re-shuffling has taken place. According to a release from the company, Somsack Sikhounmuong, formerly head of design at Madewell, will now take over as head of women's design for the J.Crew brand, replacing Tom Mora. Sikhounmuong is a 14-year veteran of Madewell, and has helped contribute to the success of the company, which has seen sales rise by 33 percent in the past year. Will he be able to sprinkle that same fairy dust on J.Crew?

Joyce Lee, who has been working under Sikhounmuong at Madewell, has already been named as his successor there. The release also makes reference to "other strategic and organizational changes ... being made across the Company in areas including store operations, production, sourcing, and merchandising." CEO Mickey Drexler, who has been upfront about what he called the retailer's "lousy year," said in the statement: "We know what needs to be done and while many of these initiatives take time, we have a committed team in place to make it happen." They certainly have their work cut out for them.

Well, I hate to say this but I am happy about the change. Tom Mora was not helping the brand too much in the past few years. #sorrynotsorry

I have been buying more and more from Madewell lately. And here is the amazing part... full price items too!

So here is to hoping that J.Crew is taking the right steps to turn design things around for the Women's line.

What are your thoughts on the management change at J.Crew? Do you think Sikhounmuong is a good replacement for Mora? Please share!

Coming Soon! Madewell at Net-a-Porter & Nordstrom

"Thanks!" to many of you, including twentysomethingsimple (in this post), as well as cousy (in this post), who let us know some super exciting news from Madewell. The following is from Fashionista (click here to read in its entirety):
 Madewell to Sell at Net-a-Porter, Nordstrom and Internationally

Head designer Somsack Sikhounmuong talks about the expansion of J.Crew's sister brand.
By Chantal Fernandez
February 6, 2015

J.Crew's sales growth may be slowing, but that hasn't stopped Madewell from dreaming bigger things. The casual, denim-focused retailer, a division of the J.Crew Group, has outlined its plans for a major expansion on all fronts: starting this month, it will sell some of its goods through third-party retailers -- specifically, Nordstrom and Net-a-Porter -- and plans to open 15 more standalone stores by the end of the year. The brand will also begin shipping internationally through its e-commerce site.

As early as Feb. 24, over 70 Madewell pieces will go on sale at Nordstrom.com, followed by arrivals in 15 Nordstrom stores on March 6. On Feb. 25,  Net-a-Porter will begin selling 50 Madewell products. International shipping will be available on Madewell.com sometime before year's end. The first shipments to both retailers have focused heavily on denim.

"We’re being really careful," said Somsack Sikhounmuong, Madewell's head of design. "We’ve talked about it and thought about it before, and we’ve finally found partners who will help us grow in the right way." The 'we' he refers to undoubtedly includes Madewell founder and CEO of the J. Crew Group, Mickey Drexler. "This, for us, is really a new beginning," said Drexler to WWD. "I wouldn’t call it necessarily a wholesale distribution. I would just call it distribution that makes sense from a customer point of view, from a brand point of view, from a Nordstrom and Net-a-Porter point of view."

This new beginning comes after a period of strong growth. In the last three years, Madewell has opened 54 stores, bringing the current total to 85. Sales were up 32 percent in the first three quarters of 2014 compared to the previous year, in contrast to J.Crew, which saw a 6 percent increase in sales (and a 2 percent decrease in comparable sales) during that same period.

For Sikhounmuong and his team, growing in the right way means not sacrificing the Madewell aesthetic. "We definitely pride ourselves for the in-store experience," he said. "[With Nordstrom] we’ve had proper meetings, we’ve gone through styling to make sure things felt Madewell still. They’ve been more than happy and more than cooperative in making sure our vision was carried through." Sikhounmuong also said that the way Nordstrom presents its Topshop collection positively influenced Madewell's decision to create a similar partnership.

Madewell's arrangement with Net-a-Porter is modeled after the one J.Crew and the site established in 2010. "Net-a-Porter has proven to be an valuable partner to J.Crew, there’s no reason to mess with a formula that works," said Sikhounmuong in a follow-up email.

J.Crew, as any regular shopper knows, is an aggressive discounter -- but Madewell promotions are rarer. When asked if there were concerns about lack of control over discounting at these new retail partners, Sikhounmuong said, "it is the nature of doing that kind of business, wholesaling, so we get it."

As for the company's day to day business, Sikhounmuong insists the new partnerships haven't changed his work. "I think it's an opportunity to meet new customers and service new customers," he says. "Time will tell, maybe in the future there may be projects here and there between the two us, but in terms of in my head, day to day, it hasn’t changed." Madewell fans should be comforted by the designer's focus on consistency and hopefully larger exposure won't necessitate design changes down the road.

"One step at a time," said Sikhounmuong. Well, in this case, more like three steps.

Update: An earlier version of the article stated that Madewell's partnership with Nordstrom and Net-a-Porter marked the first time the brand has been sold by a different retailer. Madewell has been sold through Shopbop since 2009.

This is super exciting news indeed! I think it's great to see Madewell teaming up with Net-a-Porter and Nordstrom. Both businesses focus on high-customer satisfaction and offer superior products. Nice move indeed!

I also think there is something to be said about Madewell versus J.Crew sales during the same quarter. (Referring to the following quote: "Sales were up 32 percent in the first three quarters of 2014 compared to the previous year, in contrast to J.Crew, which saw a 6 percent increase in sales (and a 2 percent decrease in comparable sales) during that same period.") I am one of those shoppers that have seen my purchases at Madewell {significantly} increase in the past few months. Meanwhile, my purchases at J.Crew have not been the same compared to previous years. (Still shopping at J.Crew, just not as much.) Instead, I have been gravitating to Madewell's jeans (hello legging jean, never looking back!), bags (transport tote, I am in love!), accessories (can't stop wearing the blanket scarf!) and shoes (billie boot, amazing!). At least my money is staying within the J.Crew family. ;)

What are your thoughts on this latest Madewell news? Are you surprised to see the brand being sold at other outlets? If so, please share! :)

Made In Italy: About a Print

"Thanks!" to many of you, who let us know about the following updated feature from J.Crew.

During yesterday's new arrivals, J.Crew also included Part 3 of their "Made-in-Italy" feature, with a neat little video titled "About a Print":

The Backstory
That 22-color paisley screened by hand. That gold-threaded jacquard woven on special looms. That intricate floral dating back 90 years. For the final leg of our Italian research trip, we visited the esteemed Ratti and Canepa mills in Como to see how the creation of a print is truly a time-honored tradition. These mills are legendary for their archives— ranging back to the 1940s and 1950s, even to the 19th century— and they're our design team's destinations for inspiration for many of our collections. Douglas Keeve (an award-winning director) joined the team to document the process and the people and places behind it.

You can watch the video at the end of this post. You can also click the link HERE.

Once again, I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes look. First, that dog is the opening scene is too cute! Second, I enjoyed the introduction to Somsack Sikhounmuong, another designer at J.Crew. Hopefully we will get to see more of him.

As for the prints... J.Crew's prints over the years have been so beautiful! (Like the Veruschka, San Remo, Trastevere Paisley, and Milo prints to name a few.) It is really interesting to see them at their source in Italy.

What are your thoughts on the video? Do you think you like the styles more now that you have seen the video?