Welcome to Neverrong. Read along here for any and all juicy tidbits and links you may have missed along the way. Listen to the FULL EPISODE HERE.
What does J. Crew mean to you?? Depending on how old you are, the 40 year old brand can have vastly different connotations. Did you receive the actual catalog in the halcyon days (1983- the early 2000s)? Did you buy into the urban woodsman of the 2010s? Did you fuck with Jenna Lyons maximalism? Maybe you’re Albert’s age or younger and you missed all of that and thought it was just kind of… mid?
(The history and research is largely based on Kingdom of Prep by Maggie Bullock, which we highly suggest you read.)
J. Crew: The Episode
Brendon Babenzien (creative director of J.Crew Men’s)
“Why now?” You may ask the co-hosts of Neverrong, the podcast where we are never wrong - and also 100% accurate and tasteful at all times. The “new J. Crew” is already in its second year – is this really a new trend? Well, loyal listeners, you’ve undoubtedly heard a Giant Fit dose of J. Crew talk, especially these last two Fall seasons, but it takes time to turn a ship around and we’re here to talk about the history of the brand, especially considering the brand seems to have managed to stick the landing in this new era.
J.Crew Pieces of Note (Revival)
The Giant Fit Chino - $98
Just shy of $100, I think this is a solid deal. It’s a statement and lets the brand ride the workwear oversized look. The fabrics are honestly fairly solid and feel nice - the only exception is the stone colorway, which I was pretty underwhelmed by.
It’s definitely been popular, and a bunch of colors have made it an enduring addition to many folks’ wardrobes.
The Giant Fit Oxford Shirt - $98 - $68.99 (69)
A much-needed addition.
I haven’t tried, but based on how slim even the relaxed oxfords were, this probably just fits like many older brands’ standard oxford.
You can actually get the debonair, flow-y, preppy look that oxfords are meant to achieve.
J.Crew Pieces of Note (O.G.)
Rollneck sweater
An important part of the line-up.
Inspired by a hand-me-down from one of Emily Cinader’s ex-boyfriends that he had inherited from his grandfather.
Initially a men’s item, but became unisex (and a multimillion dollar endeavor)
Recently re-worked as part of a Union collab.
That gingham shirt
A meme in the 2010s, and not so much a classic piece of J.Crew.
The Anorak
Inspired by the sailing jackets worn by the founder.
Barn Coat
A spin on classic workwear, chore coats, and most specifically a play on old L.L. Bean.
Like all the other big re-releases, is sold out!
Designed by none other than Sid Mashburn
History
The first J.Crew catalog appeared in 1983 and that’s what J. Crew was at the start. A catalog business. Founded by Arthur Cinader, there was a 50/50 chance that J.Crew happened at all. Cinader contacted a man named Ted Pamperin to help him launch a new catalog - he already ran a company called “The Popular Club Plan,” which sold, in part, apparel.
Pamperin gave Cinader a choice between computers and fashion and Cinader chose fashion. It was kind of the perfect time because:
Zip codes had been introduced in 1963
Credit cards were finally in widespread use
The introduction of the 800 number made long-distance calls cheap
UPS was operating in all contiguous US states
Catalogs were nothing new, but they were much more effective now than ever before.
Cinader had been inspired by Land’s End, L.L. Bean, and Ralph Lauren, but saw flaws in all. The first two were hits, but not sexy or cool - and Ralph was too expensive! So they made up J. Crew. “Crew” for the prep of it all and the J for a little added flare - didn’t hurt that it made you think of a much more established brand, J. Press.
At first they sold private label clothing, largely unbranded, but with gorgeous aspirational photos and odd, off-beat copy that managed to get in your head. J.Crew was the originator of using some odd adjective instead of a plain old color. Palomino, cedar, nutmeg, etc.
It was an immediate hit!
If you want to see more of this, check out @lostjcrew on Instagram.
Emily Scott (née Cinader), Arthur’s daughter, came in fresh out of college and enmeshed herself in the world. They poached talent from Vogue and Ralph and just kept on growing. It was a phenomenon. Something about the photos and the models and the copy and increasingly the actual product really resonated with people. J.Crew felt more real and lived-in than Ralph Lauren.
It wasn’t until 1985 that they even hired designers. They could only do private label for so long (and a few heritage brands for legitimacy). Father and daughter helmed the operation and Emily became president in 1986.
Emily wanted to shift the company gracefully into the 90s, keeping the staples and rejecting anything corny or too-80s. Under her guidance, the brand continued honing its focus, doing what it did best.
But much of J. Crew’s history has been rocky. In 1997, J. Crew sold a majority stake in the company to Texas Pacific Group in a leveraged buyout that left J.Crew saddled with astronomical debt.
They simply could not grow as fast as their competitors, in terms of physical retail space, but this was not the answer to their woes. J. Crew despite their history in catalog sales, was slow to get online.
TPG axed hundreds of employees immediately and brought in a new C.E.O. But a new C.E.O. (after the first one) Mickey Drexler managed to right the ship. The so-called merchant prince had turned Gap into a sensation and had been recently fired from his extremely successful, but rather contentious last gig.
Drexler’s reign began in 2003 and he elevated Jenna Lyons, who in turn eventually took over J.Crew and who was incredibly influential. In 2006, the company went private again, but Mickey Drexler ended up taking them public again in 2009.
Don’t forget Frank Muytjens and the Urban Woodsman!! That left a crazy impression on many of our psyches… slim raw denim, nato straps, new balances, Red Wings.
J. Crew went bankrupt in 2020, which I actually covered for Heddels . The company was saddled with a simply insane amount of debt. By the time I wrote that, my understanding of J. Crew was admittedly still pretty limited. It seemed pretty boring and soulless, but with so much debt, how could they have focused on the creative?
When’s the next episode?
I’m very interested in the giant fit Oxford, but the reviews while positive seem towards it being a really light weight fabric. I wonder how it compares to Ralph Lauren oxfords I’ve always worn? Obviously we’re all just trying to get that Hugh Grant look