In the "Marissa Webb Leaves J.Crew {say it ain't so!}" post, we wondered who would replace Marissa Webb over at J.Crew."Thanks!" to MissJ & Linda (in this post), as well as Connor (in this post), who not only answered that question but also shared the following links & news:
J.Crew's Wedding Designer, Tom Mora will also be
the new Vice President of Women’s Design.
the new Vice President of Women’s Design.
From WWD (click here to read in its entirety):
J.CREW PROMOTES MORA: J.Crew has promoted Tom Mora to vice president of women’s design, succeeding Marissa Webb, who will be leaving “to pursue other opportunities,” the company said Friday. Mora will also continue to oversee wedding and special occasion design; he has been the vice president over those categories since 2009. Previously, he was head of wovens and accessories, and has been working at J.Crew for 10 years.From NBC New York's the Thread (click here to read in its entirety):
Shortly after the brand's well-received, first-ever Fashion Week presentation, J.Crew's womenswear designer has stepped down "to pursue other opportunities." According to WWD, Tom Mora will step up to the task of overseeing women's design in addition to his current duties tackling the wedding and "special occasion" categories for J.Crew.Well, it's interesting that J.Crew replaced Marissa with an insider. I wish Tom Mora all the best on his new role. And of course, I am wondering what Marissa Webb will do next!?
In recent seasons, Webb had become the increasingly visible face of J.Crew's womenswear division -- has has Frank Muytjens for menswear -- as J.Crew's creative director, Jenna Lyons, had highlighted her talents and positioned her in more of a public role, particularly around J.Crew's seasonal presentations.
The brand's most recent presentation -- its first as part of the official New York Fashion Week lineup -- was a huge success, drawing an impressive crowd of both retail heavyweights and international fashion insiders. The fashion at the presentation may have been somewhat overshadowed, however, by the paparazzi maelstrom that resulted once Beyonce arrived to tour the collection with Jenna Lyons.
Are you surprised to hear that Tom Mora will replace Marissa Webb at J.Crew? Are you looking forward to seeing his work for the Women's line?
SHOCKED that Marissa Webb is leaving! I just bookmarked a page that she was on because I loved her in the red sweater she was wearing. In fact, I bought the sweater because of HER! Mistake, IMO.
ReplyDeleteI'm sad and disappointed Marissa Webb resigned. However, wishing her the best as she's pursuing other opportunities. Will be interesting where she'll go next.
ReplyDeleteI just hope Tom Mora will continue to keep JC classic yet modern without further decline in quality.
I am really disappointed to hear that Marissa is leaving but do wish her all the best.
ReplyDeleteNow, if they are having a man oversee women's design...why oh why can they not give us Frank?
I like the wedding dress designs, from what I have seen.. I agree with the Frank comment, but am hoping that Tom can fill those gorgeous Marissa shoes (perhaps he will wear a nice pair of desert shoes???)
ReplyDeleteI was really liking Marissa and I am surprised about her departure. I am not familiar with Tom Mora, but I hope he gets it right. I do want to report that I received a Talbots catalog for the very first time yesterday. They really do need help - it was all grandma stuff. Maybe Marissa will end up there and make it her own. (Just a thought.)
ReplyDeleteITA with FFM. I'm interested to see where Marissa turns up next.
ReplyDeletesub
ReplyDeleteI can't help but read between the lines and see the word "work politics" jumping out at me.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how much of the promotions within J.Crew are due to professional reasons and how much is due to the personal opinions of certain 'bigwigs'.
Sad.
wait, is he the guy who designed the fur vest/denim shorts/bling&booties PLUS veil outfit that graced the window of the wedding store for sooooo long? Sign me Dr.Dubious.
ReplyDeletePlus, it occurs to me that even if Melissa had a better offer, a Merchant Prince who famously handed out a $1,000,000 bonus might have been able to counter said offer?
In case you can't tell, I will miss Melissa and hope she lands on her (well-shod) feet.
Oh boy, if he was behind the plumage vest/skirt (which are still in FS, mind you) and the harem sequin pants, it should be an interesting Fall 2012. Little Edie goes to Studio 54!
ReplyDeleteAnyone wondering if Marissa is going to the Gap? They just fired their head designer and are looking to rework the brand.
ReplyDeleteWell, I certainly think GAP needs help! I'm also disappointed to see her leave. We shall see what happens next, huh?
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that head designers are resigning/getting fired left and right (JC, Gap, Talbots). I don't think that the problem is the designs as much as it is the piss-poor quality and execution (just take a look at Tal's FB page, or Gap brand reviews - a lot of them complain about declining quality). Do the designers even have that much control over that aspect? Or does somebody else make the call on where to source the material and construct the garments? I'm very curious.
ReplyDeleteI like the wedding/special occasion dresses so I'm hoping that will translate over well when Mora does womenswear. I don't really get all the love for Frank--he keeps putting guys in rolled up skinny pants and no socks. The rest of the menswear is fine, but I think it's hard to really mess up menswear that much.
ReplyDelete@silver_lining, those plumage things won't be around much longer, at the next promo I'm grabbing them for my Big Bird's blind date costume this Hallowe'enj!
ReplyDeleteMoney isn't everything. Perhaps Marissa was just ready to stop standing in Jenna's very long shadow. I wish her the best and look forward to checking out the collections whereever she lands.
ReplyDeleteI will reserve judgment on Tom Mora until I see an entire collection for which he is responsible.
I hope Marissa doesn't go to Talbots because I read that company is in serious trouble. I read that Gap actually did not so badly in the spring, due to overseas sales and the closing down of some US stores. Maybe Marisa is taking a lower profile job at a higher-end design house. Either way, J Crew shouldn't be making too many changes just as their direction seems to be on a better track -- quality issues aside, of course.
ReplyDeleteAnn Taylor has had double-digit net revenue growth since last year, so at least one chain clothing store is doing well. I believe their current head designer used to be at Club Monaco. It's musical chairs.
ReplyDeletefred, Dear Leader could certainly up the pay ante, but my guess is that he'd be so offended to think someone's loyalty would waver that he'd refuse to counter on principle. usually when someone in a position like marissa's leaves, it's because a competitor offers her greater control / free reign. i think it's lands' end, and if it is, it's a brilliant move on their part.
ReplyDeletebut as dinster said, maybe she's jumping higher in the brand ladder. dun dun dunnnnnnnnnn. can't wait to find out where she lands.
Glad to hear this! Super excited to see what he will bring to the women's line. Just don't go back to "critter shorts" and I'm good!
ReplyDeleteGiven the immediate replacement of Marissa Webb I am feeling she might have been let go. In her interview, shown on this blog, she seemed anxious and distracted. I think there was internal disagreement, just guessing of course. She is very talented and who wants to work where they are not respected?
ReplyDeleteITA agree w/shekster & kitsmommy. I got the sense of an overshadowing issue. I have limited exposure to Marissa, but never got the vibe that she was having a good time. Good luck to her & Tom Mora. Yay them for having high profile jobs in the industry.
ReplyDeleteA little late to comment back, but I hardly think that her being "overshadowed" was the reason for her leaving. More and more, we saw her become the face of J. Crew, along with Jenna Lyons -- both of them doing interviews or her talking about the designs such as the videos posted in this blog. I think it was just her wanting to go on her own.
ReplyDeleteOh and here is her Facebook and Pinterest pages, hyping us up about her own label.
http://www.facebook.com/marissawebbnyc
http://pinterest.com/marissawebb/