Discussions about the fashion industry thread

[gdl203]

Yup. If he can show that this is also good business for them (from his insight with Noah), that there is a market for it, I don’t see why it would be so hard to effect change. It’s not like J Crew’s current strategy and trajectory is working so well that the company wouldn’t dare change them

I hope that this was part of the decision to bring him in. Not just putting zebra prints on everything

 

[M Parenti]

i could see him getting a w&b-esque sub brand to play around with but perhaps i'm too cynical to believe this will be anything close to a full overhaul

 

[clee1982]

Does jcrew has some ethical production scandal, thought it's just about all the same for all the main stream guys?

 

[Peter1]

I have difficulty imagining where J. Crew could go from here, although I think there's more upside in W&B rather than the mainline stuff. My last few purchases from J Crew were pretty disappointing, especially at retail prices.

 

[bry2000]

Whatever happens, I think it is positive that they have a new, live body as creative director. The fact that he has a track record of success is a bonus.

 

[willy cheesesteak]

brendon also understands prep for a modern/younger audience better than they do

 

[gdl203]

“Mr. Babenzien said he doesn’t intend to take J.Crew into Noah’s pricing tier, but that pricing was a continuing discussion. He and Ms. Wadle said they were both focused first on raising the quality of J.Crew’s styles.”
-WSJ

 

[clee1982]

what's a typical look for Noah?

like this?

Fall/Winter 2019 Lookbook - Noah

noahny.com

 

[jah786]

They don’t have to keep the price point.
They can split collections into higher-end label and not.
They can reinvent J Crew to be something else than the current positioning and price point.

I’m curious how he’ll be able to reconcile his ethical sourcing POV and years of manifestos with NOT doing any of that. That’s going to be hard.

this is a strong point - how to reconcile ethical sourcing manifestos while not doing it. A higher-end j.crew with an ethical point of view would be so refreshing. I would love to see it. But as the creative director and not an owner, the company will decide how the clothes are made. But maybe this is only an issue for those that know of Noah. If you are a normal J.Crew shopper, perhaps you have never heard of Noah and don't know anything about Brendan or his thoughts on ethical production.

 

[kjb]

what's a typical look for Noah?

like this?

Fall/Winter 2019 Lookbook - Noah

noahny.com

i always thought of it as prep, but more playful and with a bit more youth and experimentation. the fabrics and patterns i always thought were very awesome, but i disliked having the branding stuff in the middle of the shirts, which is comes from the streetwear side. it's not my thing entirely but i do appreciate it a lot.

Spring / Summer 2021 Looks - Noah

noahny.com

someone smarter than me can maybe speak more coherently to it, but here are some looks i really like from them

Spoiler: looks

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Noah

There was some nice stuff there e.g the New Order collab, shame it's all sold out.

 

[London]

Yup. If he can show that this is also good business for them (from his insight with Noah), that there is a market for it, I don’t see why it would be so hard to effect change. It’s not like J Crew’s current strategy and trajectory is working so well that the company wouldn’t dare change them

I hope that this was part of the decision to bring him in. Not just putting zebra prints on everything

He's a lot more than that. He was making me custom Noah in the mid 2000's. Hard core tailored trenches, beautiful outerwear. He was doing a lot of current trends in menswear years ago.

 

[StrangeJeremy]

this is a strong point - how to reconcile ethical sourcing manifestos while not doing it. A higher-end j.crew with an ethical point of view would be so refreshing. I would love to see it. But as the creative director and not an owner, the company will decide how the clothes are made. But maybe this is only an issue for those that know of Noah. If you are a normal J.Crew shopper, perhaps you have never heard of Noah and don't know anything about Brendan or his thoughts on ethical production.

It is going be virtually impossible for J. Crew to audit their supply chains and subcontractors at their scale to ensure ethical production. However, I also want to believe change is possible, so I am excited about this development.

 

[King Calder]

Noah is a brand I would also be a lot more interested in if they pumped the breaks on the branding a bit. Like this terry blazer for example:

 

[danneskjold]

It is going be virtually impossible for J. Crew to audit their supply chains and subcontractors at their scale to ensure ethical production. However, I also want to believe change is possible, so I am excited about this development.

Do organizations exist that can be contracted to do that kind of auditing for a corporation?