After capture,
as Creative Director, j. Crew Jenna Lyons helped transform that rare
establishment of brand: multimillion dollar mass retail with serious cred. This
is not only its employees, which would follow suit, "Jenna's picks"
was legions of buyers in its sensitivity mix match. We caught up with Lyons a
couple times zones from (and a few thousand feet above) its home during New
York fashion week Aspen, where she spends a few days, check out the new
collection of clothes and brand in Aspen boutique.
What is
something you've seen in recent times outside the fashion world, which has been
inspiring?
Probably the
Marina Abramovic show at MoMA. So much of the world today receive less personal,
and I thought it was interesting that she chose is actually physically located
there during the show, connecting with her audience.
How important
is it for a big fashion brands have a connection with consumers?
It is a
necessity right now. We talked a lot internally about how we can run a big
company, but to find ways to build relationships with people. There isn't much
loyalty more, so how do you make people feel like they're part of something? I
want people to believe "Jenna's picks", and I think they answer it,
because they are looking for help editing: there is so much noise, so many
things to look at the present time. People say you really take them?
Absolutely! Once in a while I will have the merchant come and say, you can put
this on your picks? I'm like, no.
Why carry
brands j. Crew in your store?
It goes back to
editing, as well as appreciation for the quality. Red Wing boots — they do it
well, they do in America. Why try and recreate it? Some things are surprising,
as they are. Alden shoes, Sperry Top-autocracy. We love that you buy our Ludlow
suit, but we want you to have the best shoe option there. They come with a ton
of history and brand integrity that we will not be able to offer in a shoe.
Any producers
you your eyes on next ?
We have not
closed the deal on some of them, but we look to the beauty. We have just seen
an insatiable appetite for nails, so we look at other things we can do for
women. Women want candy. Someone else said this: "ask a woman that her
favorite thing in her closet, and she'll pick up things she bought yesterday;
ask a man, and he will choose the thing he bought 40 years ago. For both men
and women, we're looking at pieces of heritage. One old mill coat that one
other American classic Shoemaker. What we really wanted to do, especially for
women, is a collaboration shoe, where we might go to someone like Menlo Blahnik
or Christian Louboutin. Gap did a great job, do it with Pierre Hardy, I
thought. Women simply harder. Love to sell Chanel bags? Are you sure. They will
enable us to? №
Let's talk
about your story at j. Crew. You have been with the company for over 20 years,
and your first drafts were men's knitwear.
I was Assistant
to the Assistant to someone. I'm sitting in the hallway, and I barely desk. My
first day was hilarious. But one of the advantages of starting at the bottom
not afraid to push the brand. I've seen so many changes, and I feel like I
really know where the brand. For me it develops slowly. Remember, when St. John
was trying to be sexy all at once, with Angelina Jolie? They lost half their
customer base. I also have a great experience, understanding what it means to
work in the various departments at the various groups. They may say, ' Oh, I
don't think we can do it, "and I'm like," Oh, Yes, we can. "I
did it!
It's rare to
see talented designer stick with one company for so long.
Looking at it,
there was a time which was a kind of rough. I wasn't sure if I was to stay.
It's funny, because you say "the company" and strangely it's sort of
not. One of the things I learned that leadership is all about. I was there when
Emily [Woods] is running it and family company. He was very small and intimate,
and it was amazing. But then we need certain things to get us to another level
and completely different groups, the Office of the us. We then had another
person who manages us, who came from frozen food products. They were dark
times.
I noticed that
you and [j. Crew Director] Mickey Drexler allow items to sell. Why?
The problem of
ubiquity are everywhere. You can go to Amazon and get six different versions in
the same six different prices. We are very lucky that we are not wholesalers. I
want to say that we sell in Net and port, but it is a little different, because
it is international, which we do not now. But we have a dress in a store here
[Aspen], skin is made of sequins. This $ 2,000 and each 8x8mm cut manually. We
do not want to be hanging on a rack of TP
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