The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
The Noah co-founder and former Supreme design director is set to become the retailer’s chief designer for men. The news was first reported in The Wall Street Journal.
The American retailer, which underwent a bankruptcy restructuring last year, is betting on Babenzien to help “disrupt the business,” starting with his first collection to be released in the second half of 2022, WSJ reported.
In recent years, J.Crew has struggled to keep up with an increasingly digital market and streetwear-influenced consumer tastes. The pandemic was the last straw: the company became the first US retailer to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last May. It emerged from the process in September with new owners and a new strategy. Womenswear designer Chris Benz exited in September; In November, former chief executive Jan Singer was replaced by Madewell CEO Libby Wadle.
Babenzien told WSJ he wants to take J. Crew mens back to basics, with a focus on quality. Though favourites like the Ludlow suit will stay, he plans on updating the brand’s offering with relaxed tailoring and his own streetwear sensibility, he said. Babenzien will also continue to head Noah with his wife Estelle Bailey-Babenzien, WSJ reported.
The rental platform saw its stock soar last week after predicting it would hit a key profitability metric this year. A new marketing push and more robust inventory are the key to unlocking elusive growth, CEO Jenn Hyman tells BoF.
Nordstrom, Tod’s and L’Occitane are all pushing for privatisation. Ultimately, their fate will not be determined by whether they are under the scrutiny of public investors.
The company is in talks with potential investors after filing for insolvency in Europe and closing its US stores. Insiders say efforts to restore the brand to its 1980s heyday clashed with its owners’ desire to quickly juice sales in order to attract a buyer.
The humble trainer, once the reserve of football fans, Britpop kids and the odd skateboarder, has become as ubiquitous as battered Converse All Stars in the 00s indie sleaze years.