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Feature Article, October 2006
Well-Made Brand
J. Crew launches new casual women’s apparel line with two new stores this fall.
Susan Fishman
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Madewell, a new concept from J. Crew, has opened two new stores this fall — in Dallas and Los Angeles.
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The chairman and CEO of apparel giant J. Crew is introducing a new casual clothing brand this fall. Millard “Mickey” Drexler has launched a women’s-only line, called Madewell, focused on timeless, casual merchandise. The new retail company is launching with two stores — one that opened in mid-August at NorthPark Center in Dallas, and one that opened at the beginning of September at Westfield Century City in Los Angeles. A third store will open sometime between 2006 and 2007, but the company has not yet disclosed the location.
“Madewell is timeless,” says Drexler. “The clothes should look good 5 years from now — simple and cool — the product speaks for itself. At the end of the day, it’s about great style, design and product.”
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Madewell’s clothes are casual and hip, timeless in style. Price points average between $48 and $78.
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Madewell’s roots go back to 1937 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The high-quality clothing company provided work wear and utility wear for the working class, including overall chinos, durable coats and twills and work shirts. Drexler came across the name “Madewell” a few years ago and liked the fact that it was a company based on honest goods. He was able to purchase the rights to the name and, 2 years ago, he and his team began concepting ideas around it, loosely based on the premise of high-quality, casual clothes at affordable prices. The result was Madewell for women — hip, cool, casual clothes — timeless in style.
The line offers women high-quality, “go-to” staples, including chinos, jeans and that favorite T-shirt in five different colors. In contrast to the lifestyle brand of J. Crew, which is very wardrobe-focused and outfits women from wedding to weekend to work, Madewell is product-focused with more of a casual, hip attitude. With price points 20 percent to 30 percent lower than J. Crew, the majority of the product will be priced under $100, averaging between $48 and $78.
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Madewell will also launch an online outlet this fall, madewell1937.com.
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Although company execs consider Madewell a new apparel offering and is not targeting a younger audience, the product may appear younger in look and feel and could give casual clothing retailers like Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle Outfitters and Gap a run for their money.
Drexler, who also built up the Gap brand, and Liz Meltzer, head of Madewell merchandising and planning, have kept the new casual brand under wraps for the past year. Meltzer, who was vice president of merchandising for Calvin Klein, has been with J.Crew for about a year and worked with Drexler at Banana Republic in the early 1990s.
The Madewell store format will run a bit smaller than a J.Crew store, averaging approximately 3,000 square feet. The store is intimate, friendly and easy to shop, resembling more of a boutique than a shopping mall environment. The style and design are kept clean and simple, allowing the clothes to speak for themselves.
Along with the two new retail stores this year, an online retail outlet, madewell1937.com, will also launch this fall.
©2006 France Publications, Inc. Duplication or reproduction of this article not permitted without authorization from France Publications, Inc. For information on reprints of this article contact Barbara Sherer at (630) 554-6054.
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