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J.Crew, Rowing Blazers, and the "decline" of prep...
Behind the financial struggles of brands like J.Crew and Brooks Brothers, there's something we can all learn about the cultural shifts driving this.
Here's what we can learn
Behind the financial struggles of brands like J.Crew and Brooks Brothers, there's something we can all learn about the cultural shifts driving this.
Here's what we can learn
In a changing world, J.Crew's faced:
- Emerging competition
- Changing consumer habits
- Lack of focus on core offering
- Appetite for price relative to quality
But there's one other factor that really intrigues me
- Emerging competition
- Changing consumer habits
- Lack of focus on core offering
- Appetite for price relative to quality
But there's one other factor that really intrigues me
First off, prep style isn't gone.
Prep style *as a signal of wealth* ($$) in America is fading.
As an ideal, prep is alive, and Rowing Blazers proves this.
But there's a difference between J.Crew and RB.
Prep style *as a signal of wealth* ($$) in America is fading.
As an ideal, prep is alive, and Rowing Blazers proves this.
But there's a difference between J.Crew and RB.
The difference is that Rowing Blazers can repurpose prep + ivy as an act of rebellion against wasp-culture, classism-- legacy wealth in America.
Just look at their recent SS2020 campaign.
Younger audiences crave this sense of identity in their style. It's genius.
Just look at their recent SS2020 campaign.
Younger audiences crave this sense of identity in their style. It's genius.
Here's the full look-book @HYPEBEAST shared if you're interested. https://hypebeast.com/2020/2/rowing-blazers-spring-summer-2020-lookbook-first-delivery
It's not the first time we've seen this happen with the old guard of American fashion.
Hip-hop culture has used Ralph Lauren as a center piece in their work, highlighting the irony + disparity of American classism.
Here's a deeper read on this topic: https://www.esquire.com/style/a47568/hip-hop-polo-ralph-lauren-history/
Hip-hop culture has used Ralph Lauren as a center piece in their work, highlighting the irony + disparity of American classism.
Here's a deeper read on this topic: https://www.esquire.com/style/a47568/hip-hop-polo-ralph-lauren-history/
This quote sums up the piece nicely:
"…to wear a brand like Polo was fundamentally aspirational, a reconfigured riff on the American Dream… a group of guys who stole garments because society told them they couldn't afford the American Dream…"
"…to wear a brand like Polo was fundamentally aspirational, a reconfigured riff on the American Dream… a group of guys who stole garments because society told them they couldn't afford the American Dream…"
Polo wasn't *meant* for hip-hop culture.
So they took it and made it their own. As an act of rebellion to the American dream.
So they took it and made it their own. As an act of rebellion to the American dream.
The same applies to J.Crew and Rowing Blazers.
Both are aspirational. One is ironic. The other is not.
And that's where J.Crew struggles. The world's evolving, and they aren't.
Both are aspirational. One is ironic. The other is not.
And that's where J.Crew struggles. The world's evolving, and they aren't.
